On social media, Naomi Osaka appears alongside her boyfriend somewhere in Europe. But the organizers of the first Grand Slam tournament of the year do not know exactly where she is. It is now clear: the two-time Australian Open winner will not play in Melbourne.
Two-time Australian Open winner Naomi Osaka canceled her participation a week before the first Grand Slam tournament of the year. The organizers did not give a reason for the Japanese woman’s withdrawal. “We’ll take them to the
In the past few days it has become known that Tennis Australia has not been able to determine Osaka’s current whereabouts. In the past few weeks, she has repeatedly appeared on social media alongside her friend, the rapper Cordae in Europe.
The 25-year-old has won four Grand Slam titles so far. Last year she missed Wimbledon due to an Achilles tendon injury, and Osaka was eliminated in the first round of the French Open and US Open. In Paris 2021, she withdrew before her second-round match, talked about longer periods of depression and paused until the Olympics in her home country. She slipped to 42nd in the world rankings.
On Saturday, four-time Australian Open winner Venus Williams announced that she would not start due to an unspecified injury. In addition, former world number one Simona Halep from Romania is suspended after a positive doping test. It is unclear whether the world number one Iga Swiatek can play, the Pole had to cancel the preparatory tournament injured. For men, the Spanish world number one Carlos Alcaraz is missing due to a muscle injury.
