Naomi Osaka Pulls Out of Australian Open 2024 Despite Previous Success

Naomi Osaka, the two-time Australian Open champion, has officially withdrawn from the 2023 Australian Open, according to an announcement from the tournament organizers on Sunday.

The Australian Open’s official Twitter account shared the news, stating, “Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from the Australian Open. We will miss her at #AO2023.”

Osaka’s absence from the tournament has been a topic of speculation for some time, especially given that she did not participate in any of the pre-tournament warm-up events in Adelaide or Hobart.

This has only fueled conjecture regarding her participation in the first Grand Slam of the year. The 25-year-old tennis star had previously taken a break from the sport to address her mental health struggles, which became publicly evident in August 2021.

During that time, she faced intense media scrutiny at the French Open, leading to her withdrawal from the tournament and a candid admission of her ongoing battle with depression since her breakthrough Grand Slam victory in 2018.

Osaka’s recent competitive season has been plagued by a series of physical setbacks. She withdrew from the Melbourne Summer Set 1 event in January 2022 due to an abdominal injury and missed the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo in September due to illness.

Additionally, she was sidelined from the grass court season because of an Achilles injury and had to withdraw from her opening match at the Canadian Open due to a back injury.

Osaka’s withdrawal adds to a growing list of noteworthy absentees from the Australian Open, which is set to begin on January 16. World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz has also pulled out of the tournament due to a leg injury, missing what would have been his first Grand Slam appearance since winning the 2022 US Open and becoming the youngest player ever to hold the top ranking in men’s tennis.

Further adding to the list of withdrawals, wild card entry Venus Williams has announced she will not compete in the women’s singles due to an injury.

There are also concerns regarding the fitness of Emma Raducanu and world No. 1 Iga Swiatek, with Swiatek pulling out of the Adelaide International 2 tournament on Saturday due to a shoulder issue. As a result of Osaka’s withdrawal, Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska will take her place in the main draw of the Australian Open.