Naomi Osaka returns just six months after childbirth as tennis comeback detailed
Naomi Osaka is set to return to the WTA tour just six months after giving birth to her daughter in July. The former world No. 1 has not played competitive tennis since appearing at Tokyo’s Pan Pacific Open in September 2022. But the 26-year-old is targeting a return at the Brisbane Open in January ahead of the first grand slam of the new season, the Australian Open.
Confirming her return in a press release, the four-time grand slam champion said: “I am really excited about getting back out on court and competing.
“I always love starting my season in Brisbane and can’t wait to return. The Brisbane International is such a great tournament and will set me up for a brilliant comeback this summer.”
Osaka could not have picked a better time to schedule her return to the courts, having twice won the Australian Open in 2019 and 2021.
The maternity leave is just the latest of a series of hiatuses the Japanese star has had from the game. In 2021 she took an indefinite break from the game to prioritise her mental health, missing the French Open, before taking another break later that year following the US Open.
The Brisbane tournament that Osaka holds so dearly to her heart is itself returning from a three-year pause that was initially brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
She will be joined down under by British veteran Andy Murry, who has lost five Australian Open finals across his career.
He said: “It’s great to see the Brisbane International back and I am really looking forward to returning to Queensland this summer. I have great memories of winning the title in 2012 and 2013 and I would love to lift the trophy again for a third time in Brisbane.”
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Osaka is in a relationship with American rapper Cordae. Shortly after withdrawing from the 2023 Australian Open, she confirmed that she was pregnant with their first child. The couple’s daughter, Shai, arrived in July.
Osaka became world No. 1 in 2019 after winning the Australian Open for the first time. She was already the reigning US Open champion at the time. The Beverly Hills resident has won two Australian Opens and two US Opens and has seven tour titles to her name.
In 2020 she was ranked as the highest-earning female athlete of all time and was named as one of Sports Illustrated’s Sportspersons of the Year.
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