© Getty Pictures Sport – Chris Hyde
4-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka has introduced that her return will begin on the Brisbane Worldwide, which is going down between December 31 – January 07. After asserting being pregnant in January and giving start in July, the 26-year-old Japanese is about to play once more.
On Friday, we obtained to know the place Osaka’s post-pregnancy comeback will formally begin. “First match subsequent yr, so excited, I haven’t been to Brisbane shortly,” Osaka wrote on X.
First match subsequent yr 😖 so excited, I haven’t been to Brisbane shortly.
https://t.co/QpCvtBRGUu — NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) November 10, 2023
In the meantime, the Brisbane Worldwide organizers are thrilled to have Osaka again. “She is aware of she’s going to optimise her preparation for Melbourne.
It was a straightforward dialog however I am thrilled she’s coming again. To restart her profession after turning into a mum, we could not be extra thrilled she’s chosen Brisbane,”
Brisbane match director Cam Pearson stated.
Osaka is a well-recognized face in Brisbane
Former world No 1 Osaka will likely be making her third foremost draw look in Brisbane in 2024 January.
Osaka’s first look in Brisbane got here in 2016, when she as a teen tried to make the principle draw by the qualifying occasion. Sadly for Osaka, she gained two qualifying matches that yr earlier than dropping in her qualifying remaining match.
In 2019, Osaka made her foremost draw debut in Brisbane. That yr, Osaka reached the semifinal earlier than surprisingly dropping to Lesia Tsurenko within the semifinal. The next yr, Osaka returned to Brisbane and once more made the semifinal stage.
This time, Osaka fell quick to Karolina Pliskova in a three-set battle. Australia has at all times been a particular place in Osaka’s profession and there’s no doubt that the Japanese will likely be seeking to do effectively in Brisbane and put together herself effectively for the Australian Open.
Nevertheless, it ought to be famous that Osaka hasn’t performed since 2022 September and that it could take a while earlier than the two-time Australian Open champion rediscovers her finest recreation.
