Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka has been handed a wild card into the US Open following her return to tennis after a maternity break.
The former world No 1 resumed competing on the WTA Tour in January after the birth of her first child in July 2023, but the 2018 and 2020 champion in New York has failed to go beyond the quarter-finals at any tournament this season.
Osaka revealed she had “suffered long bouts of depression” after withdrawing from the French Open in 2021 and opting not to compete at Wimbledon, although she did contest the Tokyo Olympics in her native Japan.
She likened her recent loss in qualifying for the Cincinnati Open to “being postpartum”, adding in an emotional post on Instagram that the feeling “scares” her.
She is set to play at Flushing Meadows – live on Sky Sports from August 26 to September 8.
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Bianca Andreescu, who won her first Grand Slam title at the 2019 US Open, as well as resurgent Amanda Anisimova, were among the players who received main draw wild cards.
Three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka, 2020 US Open champion Dominic Thiem and Americans Chris Eubanks, Zachary Svajda, Learner Tien and Matthew Forbes received singles main draw wild cards into the men’s draw.
Thiem, 30, announced that he will retire at the end of the season after struggling with a persistent wrist injury for the better part of the last three years.
The Austrian has been ranked as high as No 3 and is currently ranked No 211.
What’s coming up on Sky Sports Tennis?
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In the run-up to the final Grand Slam of 2024 – the US Open – you can watch all of the biggest tennis stars in action live on Sky Sports as they compete across the hard-court season.
- Cincinnati Open (ATP 1000) – Until August 19
- Cincinnati Open (WTA 1000) – Until August 19
- Winston-Salem Open (ATP 250) – 18-24 August
- Tennis in the Land, Cleveland (WTA 250) – 18-24 August
- Abierto GNP Seguros, Monterrey (WTA 500) – 19-24 August
- US Open (ATP/WTA) – 26 August – 8 September
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