Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka will make her eagerly anticipated return to tennis at the Brisbane International in Australia, organisers said on Friday.
Starting on the last day of December, the Brisbane tournament is a warm-up for the Australian Open Grand Slam starting in mid-January.
The 26-year-old former world number one Osaka gave birth to daughter Shai in July and has not played on tour since September 2022, having also struggled with her mental health and the pressures of tennis.
“I always love starting my season in Brisbane and can’t wait to return,” Japan’s Osaka said.
“The Brisbane International is such a great tournament and will set me up for a brilliant comeback this summer.”
Osaka has won four major titles, triumphing in the 2019 and 2021 Australian Opens, and winning the US Open in 2018 and 2020.
Osaka earlier this year said her break from the sport had “really fuelled a fire in me”.
Osaka will be joined in Brisbane by Grand Slam winners Andy Murray and Victoria Azarenka, as well as Grigor Dimitrov and Holger Rune.
World Cup News
-
FIFA World Cup
/ 7 days agoUruguay end winless run with dramatic late win over Colombia
Manuel Ugarte grabbed a dramatic last-gasp winner as Uruguay ended a five-match winless streak...
By AFP -
FIFA World Cup
/ 1 week agoArgentina fall in Paraguay, Brazil held in Venezuela
World champions Argentina suffered a 2-1 defeat to Paraguay while rivals Brazil were held...
By AFP -
FIFA World Cup
/ 1 month agoLenovo become FIFA’s World Cup ‘technology partner’
Chinese technology company Lenovo have signed a sponsorship deal with FIFA that covers the...
By AFP -
FIFA World Cup
/ 3 months agoVinicius says Spain should lose 2030 World Cup unless racism declines
Brazilian striker Vinicius Junior has called for Spain to be stripped of its 2030...
By AFP