World number 2 Naomi Osaka has pledged to return to the WTA tour at the National Bank Open in Montreal in August, organizers announced on Wednesday.
Osaka has not played in a WTA event since retiring from the French Open at the end of May for psychological reasons. She also decided to bypass Wimbledon based on the same concerns.
Osaka, 23, is preparing for the Tokyo Olympics, where she will represent her native Japan.
The number 1 in the world, Ashleigh Barty from Australia, the number 3 Aryna Sabalenka from Belarus and the defending champion (2019) Bianca Andreescu from Canada have promised to take part in the tournament, which is scheduled from August 9th to 15th.
“We are delighted to welcome Ashleigh Barty, Naomi Osaka and Aryna Sabalenka as well as Bianca Andreescu, who we know will be welcomed for eternity by our passionate Montreal fans,” said tournament director Eugene Lapierre in a news release.
Osaka left the French Open two weeks before the second round, citing challenging media sessions as the reason they wouldn’t play. She was fined for choosing to skip mandatory post-game press conferences at the tournament.
Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam winner, said she is struggling with anxiety and depression and has had difficulty addressing them since 2018.
–Field-level media
Comments are closed.