Naomi Osaka set to make her tennis return at the Brisbane International

BRISBANE: Four-time Grand Slam singles champion Naomi Osaka will make her comeback to tennis at the Brisbane International warm-up tournament ahead of the Australian Open.

Tournament officials on Friday confirmed Osaka will contest the Dec. 31-Jan. 7 event to start her 2024 season.

A two-time Australian and US Open winner, Osaka was a surprise withdrawal from last year’s Australian Open before later revealing she was pregnant.

The former tennis No. 1 announced the birth of her daughter Shai in July.

“I am really excited about getting back out on court and competing. I always love starting my season in Brisbane and can’t wait to return,” Osaka said in a statement. It “will set me up for a brilliant comeback this summer.”

In a later social media post Osaka shared a link to the tournament announcement.

Osaka was born in Japan and moved to the US with her parents when she was 3. She hasn’t competed on tour since an event in Tokyo in September 2022, shortly after she lost in the first round of the US Open.

Australian Open officials announced last month that Osaka would be in the field for the year’s first major starting Jan. 14.