The four-time Grand Slam champion defeated Diane Parry 6-1 1-6 6-4 in the opening round on court two.
After giving birth to her first child, a girl named Shai, a year earlier, Osaka, a native of Japan, rejoined the tour in 2024.
Now rated 113th in the world, the 26-year-old missed the 2021 competition due to a mental health leave of absence after suffering an injury in 2022.
Osaka remarked, “I’m incredibly happy to be here and it’s strange, because my baby turns one tomorrow and Wimbledon was the first tournament I watched after being pregnant.
Osaka, who was playing as a wildcard, breezed through the opening set in only 22 minutes, hitting several winners past 21-year-old Parry of France.
However, Parry rapidly leveled up and the world number 53 twice broke up in the decisive set, so her level plummeted in the second set.
However, Osaka, who has never advanced past the third round at SW19, battled back, and Parry’s three double faults in the decisive match ultimately proved to be the undoing of her.
In the second round, Osaka will take on Emma Navarro, the 19th-seeded American.
