Naomi Osaka receives US Open wild card
By, Carrie McDonald
Amid a rocky postpartum comeback, Naomi Osaka has been granted a wild card spot in the US Open singles main draw, the United States Tennis Association announced.
Osaka, who represents Japan, claimed her first of four Grand Slam titles at Flushing Meadows in 2018 and won the tournament again in 2020. However, the 26-year-old has faced setbacks since rejoining the WTA Tour in January after a 15-month hiatus during which she gave birth to her daughter in July 2023.
The first-time mom has failed to advance past the quarterfinals at a tournament this season.
After a surprise loss Monday to American Ashlyn Krueger in the second round of qualifying for the Cincinnati Open, Osaka opened up about her struggles with elite tennis and postpartum in an Instagram post.
Naomi Osaka is a two-time winner of the US Open.
“My biggest issue is that I don’t feel like I’m in my body,” Osaka wrote. “It’s a strange feeling, missing balls I shouldn’t miss, hitting balls softer than I remember I used to. I try to tell myself: ‘It’s fine, you’re doing great. Just get through this one and keep pushing,’ mentally it’s really draining through.”
“Internally, I hear myself screaming: ‘What the hell is happening?!’” she added.
Once ranked No. 1, Osaka has fought her way back into the top 100 women since her return. However, her current ranking of No. 90 in the WTA’s most recent standings would not have been enough to qualify for the tournament without the wild card.
Osaka’s latest Grand Slam result was a second-round Wimbledon defeat in straight sets at the hands of rising American star Emma Navarro.
Three other former US Open champions — Bianca Andreescu, Dominic Thiem and Stan Wawrinka — also received singles wild cards.
Canada’s Andreescu, who won the US Open in 2019, returned to the Tour this year after a back injury sidelined her for nine months. Austria’s Thiem, the 2020 US Open men’s singles champion, has also been set back by injury and has announced the 2024 season will be his last due to a persistent wrist injury. Switzerland’s Wawrinka beat Novak Djokovic in the 2016 US Open final but, at No. 141, has since struggled to regain his previous form.
American players McCartney Kessler, Amanda Anisimova, Alexa Noel and Iva Jovic join Osaka and Andreescu as women’s singles wild card recipients, while Chris Eubanks, Zachary Svajda, Learner Tien, and Matthew Forbes have been awarded the remaining men’s wild card spots. France’s Chloe Paquet and Alexandre Muller as well as Australia’s Taylah Preston and Tristan Schoolkate also received wild cards because of a reciprocal exchange agreement with the French and Australian tennis federations.
Naomi Osaka admits she ‘feels strange’ on court after maternity break
Grand slam winner says tennis is ‘almost brand new’
Patchy run continues with loss in Cincinnati qualifiers
Naomi Osaka says she still does not feel like herself on court eight months into her comeback season after a maternity break. The four-time grand slam title winner is also puzzled at her lack of power and accuracy.
The 26-year-old was beaten by Ashlyn Krueger in the second round of qualifying for the Cincinnati Open, the latest setback in a patchy run of form heading into the final grand slam tournament of the year at the US Open, which starts on 26 August. Osaka triumphed at Flushing Meadows in 2018 and 2020.
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“My biggest issue currently isn’t losses though, my biggest issue is that I don’t feel like I’m in my body,” Osaka wrote on Instagram. “It’s a strange feeling, missing balls I shouldn’t miss, hitting balls softer than I remember I used to. I try to tell myself: ‘It’s fine, you’re doing great. Just get through this one and keep pushing,’ mentally it’s really draining through.
“Internally, I hear myself screaming: ‘What the hell is happening?!’”
Osaka returned to action in January after a 15-month break during which she gave birth to her daughter. Now ranked 90th in the world, her best results have been runs to the quarter-finals at Doha and ’s-Hertogenbosch.
“I’ve played a handful of matches this year that I felt like I was myself and I know this moment is probably just a small phase from all the new transitions (clay, grass, clay, hard), however, the only feeling I could liken how I feel right now to is being postpartum,” Osaka said.
“That scares me because I’ve been playing tennis since I was three, the racket should feel like an extension of my hand.”
Osaka said she did not understand why everything about her game felt “almost brand new” again. “This should be as simple as breathing to me, but it’s not. I genuinely did not give myself grace for that fact until just now.”
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The U.S. Open is scheduled to begin Aug. 26 and end Sept. 8 in Flushing Meadows, New York as Coco Gauff and Djokovic look to defend their singles titles.
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