Australian Open 2023: Two-time champion Naomi Osaka pulls out from first Grand Slam of the year

Two-time champion Naomi Osaka has announced that she is withdrawing from this year’s Australian Open, just eight days before the first Grand Slam of the year was set to begin. Osaka won the tournament in 2019 and 2021. However, she is yet to play on World Tennis Association (WTA) Tour since September and has now slipped to 42 in the world rankings.

No reason was provided for the withdrawal of 25-year-old Japanese tennis player’s withdrawal. The official social media account of Australian Open just announced her withdrawal and said “We will miss her” at Australian Open 2023. Instead of Osaka, the tournament’s organisers have promoted Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska to the main draw.




Osaka’s withdrawal from Australian Open follow the pull out by a number of other prominent players such as 42-year-old seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams and 19-year-old Spain’s No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz. The tournament is set to begin in Melbourne on January 16.

It is yet to be known if UK No. 1 Emma Raducano will participate in the Australian Open following her ankle injury at ASB Classic which forced her to retire from the match midway on Thursday. Naomi Osaka, the four-time Grand Slam champion had quit from her second-round match in Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo in September.



Osaka was not even listed to play warm-up tournaments in Adelaide or Hobart. It is to note that the 25-year-old had announced taking some time away from professional tennis and opened up about her mental struggles following August 2021 incident. In Augsut 2021, she was visibly stressed and emotional. Subsequently, she pulled out from French Open 2021 and said she had sufferred “long bouts” of depression.

FAQs:

1. How many times has Naomi Osaka won Grand Slam?
   Four times
2. How old is Naomi Osaka?
   25 years