Former World No. 1 Naomi Osaka will play her first WTA match since September 2022 at the 2024 Brisbane International.
After a 15-month hiatus in which she battled injuries and took maternity leave, Osaka is ready to rejoin the tour and re-establish herself as one of the WTA's best players. At 26, Osaka is only just entering her prime years and will continue to lust for more Grand Slam wins.
The first WTA 500 tournament of the season is taking place in Brisbane, where there is an overabundance of riches in the field. It is led by World No. 2 and Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka. At least six Top 20 players have joined the event to finetune their games.
Osaka's ranking deteriorated due to her inactivity from the tour in 2023. She took time away from the grind to give birth to her first child in July and will need to work up the ladder in 2024. But the good thing is that she qualifies for a Special Ranking.
Oska is entitled to entry into the main draw for up to 12 WTA tournaments within one year. But in Brisbane, she has been afforded a wild card into the draw, where she faces a very challenging route to the title. The Japanese star has been candid about her ambitions and is finding inner strength following pregnancy.
She kicks off her campaign against Tamara Korpatsch of Germany, a player who became one of the most unexpected champions on tour last season when she won in Cluj Napoca. It will possibly be Osaka's cushiest bow of the week.
If she navigates that hurdle, she will meet former World No. 1 Karolina Pliskova in the second round. The Czech leads their head-to-head 3-2 and incidentally defeated Osaka during their last clash in Brisbane in 2020 en route to the title.
But because of Pliskova's fitness concerns, Osaka will likely nail that test. In round 16, third seed Jelena Ostapenko is expected to pose a serious challenge, assuming the Latvian can beat one of Camila Giorgi or Peyton Stearns.
Moreover, Osaka has been drawn in the same half of the draw as that of top seed Aryna Sabalenka, whom she could meet in the semifinal. It will be interesting to see whether the 26-year-old can add another feather to her cap because this is one of the toughest draws she could have on her return.
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