Less than six months after giving birth, Naomi Osaka is set to return to tennis at the Brisbane International. During the summer of this year, the four-time grand slam champion announced the birth of her first child with rapper Cordae.
The former world No. 1 hasn’t played on the WTA Tour since the birth of her daughter.
“I am really excited about getting back out on court and competing,” the 26-year-old said to ESPN. “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.”
The Brisbane serves as a warm-up event for the Australian Open. The tournament will be held from Dec. 31, 2023, to Jan. 7, 2024.
With her most recent win in 2021, Osaka has earned two of her four grand slam titles at the Australian Open. Osaka and her team plan for her to play in 2024.
“It’s definitely way more tournaments than I used to play,” she said. “So, I think some people will be happy with that.
Osaka explained that she doesn’t know what to expect upon her return but, plans to set herself up well for a successful year.
“I think it’s because I realized that I don’t know how the beginning of the year is going to go for me. I don’t know the level of play and I think I have to ease into it,” she said. “So at the very least, I’m going to set myself up for a very good end of the year.”
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