Naomi Osaka’s 15-month break from professional tennis will come to an end during the first week of January after signing up to play a WTA 500 event in Australia.
The four-time Grand Slam champion will begin her comeback at the Brisbane International which will get underway on December 31st. Osaka hasn’t played a professional match since September 2022 after taking time away to give birth to her first child, a baby girl called Shai. It will be her fourth appearance in Brisbane where she has twice reached the semi-final stage in 2019 and 2020.
“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,” said Osaka.
“The Brisbane International is such a great tournament and will set me up for a brilliant comeback this summer.”
Earlier this week, one of Osaka’s coaches said the Japanese player was eager to chase after more Grand Slam titles and reclaim the world No.1 ranking position in the future. Performance coach Florian Zitzelsberge told tennis.com that work has been done to make the tennis star more of a defensive player on the court to fare better with the current level of women’s tennis.
“She’s obviously a great offense player, but I think things have changed in the game over the last half-decade where defense is getting more and more important,” said Zitzelsberger.
“We’re working to make Naomi into a player who can transition more effectively from defense to offense. That way, even if she’s getting pushed into a defensive position, she can still strike an offensive shot.”
Joining Osaka in the 48-player women’s draw in Brisbane will be two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka. The Belarusian won the tournament in 2009 and 2016.
Murray among trio named for men’s tournament
In the men’s draw, Andy Murray will be another player to start their season at the event. The former world No.1 has experienced mixed results on the Tour in recent weeks and has admitted that he is ‘really not enjoying tennis’ following his exit from the Paris Masters where he led Alex de Minaur 5-2 in the deciding set before losing.
“It’s great to see the Brisbane International back and I am really looking forward to returning to Queensland this summer,” Murray said.
“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.”
World No.10 Holger Rune will also be playing. The Dane has reached three Grand Slam quarter-finals and won four ATP titles so far in his career. However, he has yet to contest a Tour-level final on Australian soil. 2017 champion Grigor Dimitrov is another to confirm his participation in the event.
“We are really excited to welcome Naomi Osaka, Andy Murray, Victoria Azarenka, Holger Rune and Grigor Dimitrov to Brisbane in 2024 and know the atmosphere of watching these top players will be thrilling this summer,” Brisbane International Tournament Director Cam Pearson said.
“Victoria, Andy and Grigor are all past Brisbane International champions, so to have them confirmed this early shows their commitment to the tournament and how much players love coming back to Queensland.
“We are also thrilled to have one of the world’s best young players, Holger Rune, confirmed for the Brisbane International. The 20-year-old has had an incredible year, reaching world No.4 in August and next week has his eyes set on winning the 2023 ATP Finals, under new coach Boris Becker.”
The 2024 Brisbane International will have a combined prize money pool of AUS$3.1 million. Matches are scheduled to take place between 31 December and 7 January.
