Former champion Naomi Osaka withdraws from Australian Open

Organisers of the tournament beginning 16 January announced Sunday that the two-time champion has pulled out of the tournament. She is replaced by Ukrainian tennis player Dayana Yastremska.

File photo of Japan's Naomi Osaka in action during her first round match against Danielle Collins of the US | Reuters/Shannon Stapleton

Two-times champion Naomi Osaka has pulled out of the Australian Open, organisers of the season’s first Grand Slam which begins on Jan. 16 announced on Sunday without elaborating on the reason.

The Japanese former world number one’s name was on the entry list for the Australian Open but Osaka was not scheduled to play in warm-up tournaments in Adelaide and Hobart, raising doubts about her participation in the hardcourt major.

“Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from the Australian Open. We will miss her at #AO2023,” the Australian Open tweeted. “Dayana Yastremska moves into the main draw.”

Osaka, the 2019 and 2021 Melbourne Park champion, has not played on the WTA Tour since pulling out of her match against Beatriz Haddad Maia in the Pan Pacific Open second round in Tokyo in September due to illness.

Her withdrawal comes a day after American seven-times Grand Slam champion Venus Williams was ruled out of the Australian Open due to injury in a double blow to the organisers.

Osaka, who has slipped to 42 in the world rankings, had taken a break to prioritise her mental health after skipping the 2021 French Open and later said that she was battling depression.

(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)

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