1 of 4 | Naomi Osaka (pictured) of Japan will play her first Miami Open match since the 2022 final when she battles Italian Elisabetta Cocciaretto in the first round Wednesday in Miami Gardens, Fla. Photo by Ray Acevedo/EPA-EFE
“Naomi Osaka is set to reenter the competitive tennis scene at the Brisbane International, marking her comeback after sitting out the 2023 season due to the birth of her first child.”
The four-time Grand Slam champion has not played a match since September 2022, taking the whole of this year off and giving birth to daughter Shai in July.
“I am really excited about getting back out on court and competing,” said Osaka. “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.”
She later added on X (formerly Twitter): “First tournament next year 😖 so excited, I haven’t been to Brisbane in a while.”
The 26-year-old had played an increasingly sparse schedule before her maternity leave, stepping away from the court several times to prioritise her mental health.
But, speaking to ESPN during the US Open, she said of her time away: “It really raised my love for the sport. It made me realise I’m not going to play forever. I have to embrace the times. I’ve been playing tennis since I was three.
“I don’t think I can predict what I’ll do. I never am able to do that, but it definitely made me appreciate a lot of things that I took for granted.”
Osaka will play her first Grand Slam since the US Open in 2022 at the Australian Open – which she won in 2019 and 2021 – later in January.
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The Brisbane International, which takes place from December 31 to January 7, has not been part of the WTA Tour calendar for the past three years, but it will return with a star-studded line-up next year as two-time Australian Open winner Victoria Azarenka will also compete.
Meanwhile, Osaka won’t be the only first-time mother who returns to competitive action next year as three-time Grand Slam winner Angelique Kerber will also make her comeback in early 2024.
Former world No 1 Kerber announced in August 2022 that she was expecting her first child and she gave birth to her daughter Liana in February this year.
The 35-year-old, though, will make her return at the United Cup where she will team up with Alexander Zverev, Maximilian Marterer, Tatjana Maria, Laura Siegemund and Kai Wehnelt for the German team.
This year Elina Svitolina and Caroline Wozniacki joined the growing WTA Tour mother club as Svitolina returned to action in April after giving birth in October last year. Mother of two Wozniacki, meanwhile, came out of retirement in August having previously retired in 2020.
