Two-time Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka became the latest star to pull out of the opening Grand Slam of the year Sunday, leaving the tournament deprived of some of the biggest names in the game.
MELBOURNE — No reason for the Japanese player’s withdrawal was given with organizer Tennis Australia tweeting: “We will miss her at AO2023.”Osaka has not played a competitive match since September and reports last week said that, despite being on the official entry list, Tennis Australia were having trouble verifying her whereabouts.
Veteran American Venus Williams will also be missing after picking an injury at last week’s Auckland Classic and handing back the wildcard she had been awarded. But nine-time champion Novak Djokovic is back after missing last year’s event when he was deported over his vaccination status. The four-time Grand Slam winner has previously talked about struggles with her mental health and spent all of 2022 outside the top 10, enduring first-round defeats at both the French and US Opens. She withdrew from Wimbledon with an Achilles’ injury.
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