Osaka, who received the Australian Open in 2019 and 2021, added her title to a rising listing of notable withdrawals.Naomi Osaka has confirmed she won’t play on the Australian Open, including her title to a rising listing of notable withdrawals.
Organisers confirmed in a tweet on Sunday that Japan’s Osaka, the Open champion in 2019 and 2021, won’t be taking part in in Melbourne.
“Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from the Australian Open. We are going to miss her at #AO2023,” the tweet mentioned.
Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from the Australian Open. We are going to miss her at #AO2023 💙
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 8, 2023
The 25-year-old Osaka’s rating has slipped to 47 and he or she has not performed since September after withdrawing in the course of the second spherical of the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo. She received her first-round match at that event when Australia’s Daria Saville withdrew after one sport with a knee damage.
Osaka received just one accomplished match since Might and was crushed within the first spherical of her three earlier tournaments, together with the US Open at which she is also a two-time champion.
She had been thought of unlikely to play within the first Grand Slam of the season.
Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska has been promoted to the principle attract her place.
Osaka took a psychological well being break after lacking the 2021 French Open and later mentioned she had been fighting despair and nervousness for a number of years. Her absence from Melbourne provides to uncertainty over when or if she is going to resume her profession.
Final week she posted footage on social media of a visit to Europe together with her rapper boyfriend Cordae.
The Australian Open, which begins on January 16, has already misplaced a number of main gamers together with males’s world primary Carlos Alcaraz who pulled out Saturday with an ankle damage.
Former finalist Simona Halep additionally isn’t taking part in this yr and Venus Williams additionally has handed again a wildcard entry after struggling an damage whereas practising in Auckland.
Open organisers have been already reeling from the retirements final yr of reigning ladies’s champion Ashleigh Barty and legends Serena Williams and Roger Federer.
However nine-time champion Novak Djokovic is again after lacking final yr’s occasion when he was deported over his vaccination standing.
Spanish famous person Rafael Nadal, who received the 2022 title in Djokovic’s absence, will even line up, taking excessive seeding from Alcaraz.