‘Back on the Tour’ Naomi Osaka confirms her next tournament
Follow Us
Naomi Osaka
4-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka had a good start to her 2022 season given that she was returning to competitive tennis for the first time in 4 months. The former World No. 1 made her season debut at the 2022 Melbourne Sumer Set where she made a semi-final run and looked to clinch the title. However, she had fitness issues since she played after such a long time and chose to withdraw from the semis.
The Japanese superstar then played directly at the 2022 Australian Open where she was the defending champion. Her title defense however ended in the 3rd round where she was defeated in 3-sets by American youngster Amanda Anisimova who lost to eventual champion and World No. 1 Ash Barty in the 4th round.
With players confirming their participation for the Tour events beginning from the first week of February, Naomi had not announced her next tournament keeping the fans in the unknown. The mystery has however been solved after Naomi answered a fan question in her recent ‘Q&A’ session on her official Instagram handle.
Asked about her next tournament, Naomi replied and informed that she will return to Tour directly at the upcoming 2022 Indian Wells Open, the second WTA-1000 tournament of the season. This would mean that Naomi will not be participating in any event during the month of February and will be back in action directly on 9th March when the tournament kicks off in the Californian desert in Indian Wells.
Naomi Osaka won her first WTA title in Indian Wells
Osaka won her first-ever WTA title at the 2018 Indian Wells and had dropped only 1-set throughout the tournament while also earning her first win over a World No. 1 player when she defeated Simona Halep 6-3, 6-0 in the semi-finals. Naomi’s coronation as the champion made her the youngest player in 10 years to win the title having won the title at the age of 20.
This year’s tournament will however be different for the former champion who returns to the desert for the first time since 2019. With the 2020 edition cancelled due to the Pandemic and Osaka not playing in the revised schedule for the tournament in 2021, the currently ranked World No. 85 can expect a tough draw at the Indian Wells this year.
Stay Updated!
Sarthak Shitole
(3462 Articles Published)