Naomi Osaka had taken a break from Tennis in the 2023 season when she was anticipating her first baby. (Image: X)
It can be Osaka’s first look in Tokyo since she withdrew from the Pan Pacific Open in September 2022 earlier than her second-spherical match.
Naomi Osaka will play the Billie Jean King Cup for the primary time in 4 years when Japan face Kazakhstan in a qualifier in Tokyo subsequent month, the crew stated Friday.
The 4-time Grand Slam winner and former world primary is making her return to tennis this season after giving start, and final performed on the match in 2020.
The 26-yr-outdated has performed at 5 tournaments since making her comeback, and misplaced to Belgium’s Elise Mertens in the final 32 on the Indian Wells Masters earlier this week.
She is at the moment ranked 287 in the world after taking a 15-month break from the tour for maternity depart.
It can be Osaka’s first look in Tokyo since she withdrew from the Pan Pacific Open in September 2022 earlier than her second-spherical match.
Japan will face Kazakhstan on April 12 and 13 at Tokyo’s Ariake Coliseum, the place Osaka reached the third spherical of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
The winners will advance to November’s finals in Spain.
“She said that she wants to play, so I’m really happy,” native media quoted Japan captain Ai Sugiyama as saying.
Osaka has beforehand stated that she desires to play at this summer season’s Paris Olympics.
