Izuchukwu OkosiFour-time Grand Slam singles champion Naomi Osaka will make her much awaited comeback to professional tennis at the Brisbane International warm-up tournament ahead of the Australian Open.
Tournament officials on Friday confirmed Osaka will contest the Dec. 31-Jan. 7 event to start her 2024 season.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelA two-time Australian and U.S. Open winner, Osaka was a surprise withdrawal from the 2022 Australian Open before later revealing she was pregnant.
The former tennis No. 1 announced the birth of her daughter Shai in July.
“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,” Osaka said in a statement. It “will set me up for a brilliant comeback this summer.”
Osaka was born in Japan and moved to the United States with her parents when she was 3. She hasn’t competed on tour since an event in Tokyo in September 2022, shortly after she lost in the first round of the U.S. Open.
Australian Open officials announced last month that Osaka would be in the field for the year’s first major starting January 14.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
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