Naomi Osaka accepts wildcard for Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open

Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka has been confirmed for the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open next month after accepting a wildcard to play in the WTA 500 tournament.

Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan)
Ons Jabeur (Tunisia)
Maria Sakkari (Greece)
Barbora Krejčíková (Czech Republic)
Beatriz Haddad Maia (Brazil)
Jeļena Ostapenko (Latvia)
Liudmila Samsonova
Daria Kasatkina 
Veronika Kudermetova 
Caroline Garcia (France) 
Magda Linette (Poland) 
Sorana Cîrstea (Romania) 
Anastasia Potapova 
Anhelina Kalinina (Ukraine)  
Jasmine Paolini (Italy) 
Emma Navarro (USA) 
Lesia Tsurenko (Ukraine)
Naomi Osaka (Japan) - wildcard
Emma Raducanu (Great Britain) - wildcard

Taking place from February 3-11 at Zayed Sports City's International Tennis Centre, the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open had already announced a line-up that will feature 10 of the world's top 20 players, including world No 3 Elena Rybakina, sixth-ranked Ons Jabeur, and world No 8 Maria Sakkari.

Now the field has become even more competitive with the addition of Osaka, who follows Great Britain's former US Open champion Emma Raducanu as a wildcard entry.

“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, 26, 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.”

Osaka shot to prominence as a 20-year-old by winning the US Open in 2018, in the process becoming Japan's first Grand Slam champion. She backed that up by starting the 2019 season with the Australian Open title – a triumph that saw her rise to world No 1.

Osaka repeated the feat two