Two-time champion Naomi Osaka has formally withdrawn from the Australian Open, including to the rising checklist of famous person casualties.
Osaka hasn’t performed since September and was lengthy odds to make her comeback at Melbourne Park after posting footage on social media solely final week of her jaunt by way of Europe along with her US rapper boyfriend, Cordae.
“Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from the Australian Open. We’ll miss her at #AO2023,” Open officers tweeted on Sunday.
Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska has been promoted to the primary attract Osaka’s absence.
Champion at Melbourne Park in 2019 and 2021, Osaka took within the Mona Lisa, concert events and solely seemingly returned to her Los Angeles base final week and has proven no signal of any Open preparation.
The 25-year-old’s Melbourne no present will solely additional heighten issues the four-time grand slam champion could not return to the tennis court docket in any respect.
Osaka took a psychological well being break after sitting out the 2021 French Open and later revealed she’d been fighting melancholy and nervousness for a number of years.
All the way down to 47th within the dwell WTA rankings, the Japanese super-talent has not performed since withdrawing from the second spherical in Tokyo final September with belly pains and has received just one accomplished match since final Could.
The previous world No.1 crashed out within the first spherical of her earlier three occasions, together with the US Open, which she has additionally received twice.
Osaka’s final victory was an abbreviated one to say the least, coming after only one recreation in opposition to Daria Saville when the Australian suffered a torn ACL in Tokyo.
Her scratching is one other blow to Open organizers already reeling from the retirements final yr of reigning women’s champion Ash Barty and legends Serena Williams and Roger Federer.
Men’s world No.1 Carlos Alcaraz pulled out on Saturday with a hamstring injury earlier than Serena’s seven-time grand slam-winning sister Venus handed again her wildcard after being harm whereas working towards in Auckland.
Former Melbourne Park finalist and ex-long-time No.1 Simona Halep is not competing this yr both.
Osaka’s withdrawal would ordinarily have been a lift for Australian No.1 Ajla Tomljanovic, who wants two higher-ranked rivals to drop out earlier than subsequent Thursday’s draw to realize an all-important Open seeding.
However Osaka’s fall from grace has been so spectacular that the previous world No.1 is behind Tomljanovic within the standings and battling to stay inside the highest 50.
A primary-time grand slam seeding would guarantee Tomljanovic – a Wimbledon and US Open quarter-finalist – does not strike a higher-ranked opponent till a minimum of the third spherical.
World No.22 Nick Kyrgios and the 24th-ranked Alex de Minaur are at present the one two Australians slated to be seeded for the season’s first slam.
