Naomi Osaka hits practice court since birth of daughter as the former No.1 and new mom prepare for her comeback ahead of the Brisbane International.
Naomi Osaka practices for WTA comeback
Osaka pulled out of last year’s Australian Open in Melbourne before later revealing she was pregnant and delivered in July, 2023 as Shai – her daughter was born.
The new mom’s return is highly anticipated and expected by the fans, since she has only played one game since the 2021 US Open in New York. She was leading Daria Gavrilova 1-0 at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo in September 2021, before the Australian suffered a serious knee injury and had to retire in the match.
Osaka will make her WTA comeback at the tournament which begins Sunday at Pat Rafter Arena. A two-time Australian and U.S. Open champion is said to be excited to be back in Brisbane.
“She’s really pumped, excited to be back in Brisbane,” tournament director Cameron Pearson said Wednesday. “She arrived Christmas morning and was out practicing a few hours later. No Christmas pudding for her, she was straight into it.”
