The Australian Open starts already on January 16, and most of its participants are playing, for example, in the preparatory tournament in Adelaide, or they will take part in the one in Hobart, which starts next week. However, the name of the two-time champion from the opening Grand Slam of the year, Naomi Osaka, does not appear on the starting list of any of them.
The 25-year-old Japanese tennis player last appeared on the WTA circuit in September in Tokyo, where she played only one game in the first round before her opponent gave up on her, and she did not even enter the second round. Since then, there is no indication that the currently 42nd ranked player in the world has been training.
Believe in yourself. I promise it’ll get you much further than you can imagine.
— NaomiOsaka Naomi Osaka (@naomiosaka) December 26, 2022
She last shared a post on social media on December 28, where she shared with fans a few snippets from her trip to Europe with her partner, rapper Cordao. Adding to the fact that she is apparently still not in Australia is that she was tagged in a photo from a pilates studio in Los Angeles on Wednesday.
Although Osaka’s name appears on the starting list of the Australian Open, the organizers are rather resigned to the fact that the tournament will lose another big name in women’s singles. Even so, the tournament will be deprived of the participation of last year’s champion Ashley Bartyová, who ended her career, or Serena Williams or Roger Federer in the men’s part of the tournament.
There are also speculations that the former world number one could completely end her career. Her recent results have not been satisfactory. Last year at the US Open, she was eliminated in the first round, as well as in Cincinnati or Toronto. She also admitted that she suffered from depression since 2018 and her boycotts of press conferences, which she did not attend due to fear for her mental health, are also known.
