Naomi Osaka accepts Abu Dhabi Open wild card after first-round exit at Australian Open - 'It's a high-quality field'

ByNancy Gillen

Published 22/01/2024 at 20:59 GMT

Naomi Osaka will continue her comeback from pregnancy at the Abu Dhabi Open after accepting a wildcard into the WTA 500 tournament. The four-time Grand Slam winner gave birth to her first child in July 2023, and made her return to tennis at the start of 2024. The Abu Dhabi Open will be Osaka's first appearance since her first-round exit at the Australian Open.

Naomi Osaka will play at the Abu Dhabi Open in February after accepting a wild card into the event.

The WTA 500 tournament will take place at Zayed Sports City from February 3 to 11.

It will be the next step for Osaka as she continues her comeback from pregnancy, having given birth to her first child in July 2023.

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The 26-year-old made her return to tennis at the Brisbane International at the start of the month, before playing at the Australian Open, where she suffered a first-round defeat to Caroline Garcia.

"I’m very excited about competing in this year’s Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open and performing in front of the UAE tennis fans, who I know from previous experience will create a fantastic atmosphere," Osaka said.

"It’s a high-quality field with some of the world’s best players taking part, and I’m looking forward to what I’m sure will be a fantastic event."

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Henman 'very optimistic' that Osaka will soon be a 'threat' at Grand Slams again

The 28-player field at the Abu Dhabi Open already features a number of Grand Slam winners, namely Elena Rybakina, Emma Raducanu, Barbora Krejcikova and Jelena Ostapenko.

Garcia, Ons Jabeur, Daria Kasatkina, Beatriz Haddad Maia and Liudmila Samsonova have also been confirmed to play.

"With only a matter of weeks to go until this year’s tournament, we are absolutely delighted to announce that Naomi Osaka will be participating as part of a hugely talented field," said tournament director Nigel Gupta.

Osaka said she "learned a lot both on and off the court" during her time at this year’s Australian Open, having previously won two of her four Grand Slam titles at the tournament.

Eurosport experts Tim Henman and Laura Robson were also positive about her performance.

"I thought her level was excellent, and her body language and competitive spirit was right on point," Henman said. "She was there, trying to pump herself up.

"She didn’t get frustrated even though she was behind. I’m very optimistic that if she keeps doing the work and the right things, she’s going to race back up the rankings and be a threat in Grand Slams in the future."

Robson added: "Give Naomi a couple of matches and she’ll find that intensity back and get used to the pace coming from the top players again. I don’t feel like her level is very far away."

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