Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from the Australian Open, as the two-time champion became the latest big name to secure a pin… and her four-month tennis exile shows no sign of ending after her trip to Europe with rapper boyfriend Cordae last year
Two-time champion Naomi Osaka has pulled out of the Australian Open, the organizers of the first Grand Slam of the season starting on January 16 announced without explaining the reason.
The Japanese former world number one’s name is on the entry list for the Australian Open but Osaka is not scheduled to play in the warm-up tournaments in Adelaide and Hobart, throwing her participation in the hardcourt major into doubt.
Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from the Australian Open. We will miss him at #AO2023,’ the Australian Open tweeted. ‘Dayana Yastremska moves into the main draw.’
Two-time champion Naomi Osaka has pulled out of the Australian Open, it has emerged
Osaka is a two-time winner in Melbourne but has now not played tennis for four months
Osaka, the 2019 and 2021 Melbourne Park champion, has not played on the WTA Tour since pulling out of her match against Beatriz Haddad Maia in the Pan Pacific Open second round in Tokyo in September due to illness.
Her withdrawal came a day after American seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams was ruled out of the Australian Open due to injury in a double blow to organizers.
Osaka, who fell to 42 in the world rankings, took time off to prioritize her mental health after skipping the 2021 French Open and later said she was battling depression.
The 25-year-old’s no-show in Melbourne will only fuel concerns that the four-time grand slam champion may not be able to return to the tennis court.
Osaka took a mental health break after sitting out the 2021 French Open and later revealed she had been struggling with depression and anxiety for several years.
Her Instagram is pretty quiet, but she recently posted a series of photos from a holiday in Europe with her rapper boyfriend Cordae since October, while he was on tour.
Osaka recently posted on social media about her European vacation with her rapper boyfriend, when he was on tour in October. as they saw the Mona Lisa while stopping in Paris, France
One of the photos she posted showed the pair in Paris, France, posing in front of the famous Mona Lisa painting at the Louvre.
The absences of 2022 Australian Open champion Ash Barty, who has opted to retire, as well as Serena Williams and Roger Federer mean some of the sport’s biggest names will miss the season-opening slam, much to the chagrin of organizers.
Men’s US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz is also missing the competition due to a leg injury.
Osaka’s form, or lack thereof, has seen her exit in the first round of her last three tournaments, including the final slam of 2022, the US Open, losing in straight sets to Danielle Collins.
The draw for the Australian Open takes place next Thursday.
