Naomi Osaka, one of many greatest tennis stars on the planet, is making Australian Open organizers slightly nervous.
The previous world no.1 is listed on the Australian Open’s foremost draw entry listing, however no bulletins have been made relating to when she’ll play a match within the lead up, neither is it sure she’s going to even be at Melbourne Park.
She hasn’t performed a match since September 2022, nor will she play (at this stage) in any of the normal lead up occasions to the Australian Open.
The 2-time Australian Open champion is chopping it shut, with qualifiers set to start Monday (Osaka will not should qualify for the event although), and Spherical 1 to begin from January 16.
Australian Open officers haven’t addressed the difficulty publicly, however are reported to be “desperately” trying to confirm Osaka’s playing status and whereabouts.
This 12 months’s begin to the Grand Slam season is already that includes a stark scarcity of megastars, following the 2022 retirements of Ash Barty, Serena Williams, and Roger Federer.
For her half, Osaka has remained conspicuously quiet about her plans.
On Friday morning, as an alternative of answering questions on her Australian Open plans, Osaka used her social media accounts to announce her athlete administration company Evolve has signed girls’s tennis world No. 2 Ounces of Jabeur.
It is a main scoop for Evolve, which Osaka co-founded together with her longtime agent Stuart Duguid final 12 months.
In a glowing written assertion detailing her historical past with Jabeur, Osaka was filled with reward.
“Over time watching her rise via the tour and grow to be the star that she is has been extremely joyful to look at and I can not wait to see her create extra historical past and ascend even greater,” Osaka stated.
Jabeur is the second athlete to signal with Evolve after Australian star participant Nick Kyrgios made the move last year.
Tennis Australia and representatives for Naomi Osaka didn’t reply to TND‘s requests for feedback.
Kyrgios drops out of Australian Open warm-ups
Coincidentally, Nick Kyrgios has already precipitated a storm on the Australian Open after him pulled out of the second of the Adelaide International warm-up events with an ankle harm.
Nevertheless, Kyrgios continues to be anticipated to play on the Australian Open, together with his supervisor Daniel Horsfall telling the media the star is “working every day” to verify he is prepared.
“Lots of people have been upset after he pulled out of the United Cup, however I hope they now notice the harm is real,” Mr Horsfall stated.
“I want extra folks would ask questions earlier than placing of their two cents.”
On Thursday, Novak Djokovic confirmed he’s planning to play the Australian in a observe match in Melbourne, though Kyrgios has requested they play shorter units.
“I am blissful if that will probably be organized; we’re nonetheless not having 100 p.c affirmation, however I believe more than likely will occur with Nick, so I am wanting ahead to that,” Djokovic stated.
The information comes after the connection between the 2 tennis stars softened right into a ‘bromance’ following years of animosity, throughout which Kyrgios labeled the Serbian participant a “software”.
Regardless of their frosty beginnings, Djokovic stated the connection took a flip for the higher when Kyrgios offered public support amid his COVID vaccination drama that finally noticed Djokovic deported from Australia.
Osaka’s psychological well being trials
Whereas Osaka has saved mum about her Australian Open plans, she previously withdrawn from the French Open and concurrently revealed struggles with “lengthy bouts” of melancholy since 2018.
The choice of the previous world no. 1 (presently world no. 42) to withdraw got here after she was fined $15,000 ($19,400) for refusing to attend necessary press conferences for gamers after matches
“Anybody that is aware of me is aware of I am introverted, and anybody that has seen me on the tournaments will discover that I am usually carrying headphones as that helps uninteresting my social anxiousness,” she stated on the time.
Osaka has not performed since withdrawing from the second spherical in Tokyo in September with stomach pains, and has only won a single completed match since May.
With the eyes of the tennis world targeted on Osaka to work out her subsequent transfer, she would possibly once more be taking a step again for her psychological well-being.
