Osaka Hits Practice Court to Prepare for her Tennis Return at Brisbane International

Naomi Osaka of Japan in action during a practice session ahead of the Brisbane International tennis tournament at Queensland Tennis Centre n Brisbane, Wednesday, December 27, 2023. (AAP Image/Darren England)
Naomi Osaka of Japan in action during a practice session ahead of the Brisbane International tennis tournament at Queensland Tennis Centre n Brisbane, Wednesday, December 27, 2023. (AAP Image/Darren England)
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Osaka Hits Practice Court to Prepare for her Tennis Return at Brisbane International

Naomi Osaka of Japan in action during a practice session ahead of the Brisbane International tennis tournament at Queensland Tennis Centre n Brisbane, Wednesday, December 27, 2023. (AAP Image/Darren England)
Naomi Osaka of Japan in action during a practice session ahead of the Brisbane International tennis tournament at Queensland Tennis Centre n Brisbane, Wednesday, December 27, 2023. (AAP Image/Darren England)

Former No. 1 and new mom Naomi Osaka hit the practice court Wednesday ahead of the Brisbane International as she prepared for her much anticipated return to tennis, The Associated Press reported.
Osaka will make her WTA comeback at the tournament which begins Sunday at Pat Rafter Arena. A two-time Australian and US Open champion, Osaka pulled out of last year's Australian Open in Melbourne before later revealing she was pregnant.
The US-based Japanese player and her American rapper boyfriend Cordae became parents to daughter Shai in Los Angeles in July.
Osaka has only played one game since the 2021 US Open in New York. She was leading Daria Gavrilova 1-0 at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo in September 2021, before the Australian suffered a serious knee injury and had to retire in the match.
“She’s really pumped, excited to be back in Brisbane,” tournament director Cameron Pearson said Wednesday. ”She arrived Christmas morning and was out practicing a few hours later. No Christmas pudding for her, she was straight into it.”
Rafael Nadal is also set to return from injury in Brisbane in a 32-man ATP field so strong that Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini and 2020 US Open champion Dominic Thiem will have to qualify to feature in it.
Nadal held his first practice session Thursday in Brisbane.
Thiem made the Australian Open final in 2020 and Berrettini was a semifinalist two years later. Both are currently sitting outside the top-60 cutoff mark which received automatic entry into the season-opening event.
Holger Rune, at No. 8, is the highest-ranked male in the tournament. American Ben Shelton and three-time Grand Slam singles champion Andy Murray are also entered.
Reigning Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, Jelena Ostapenko, Victoria Azarenka, Sofia Kenin and Sloane Stephens are in the 54-player women's draw.



Thuram Drops Out of France Squad Due to Ankle Injury 

Inter Milan's French forward #09 Marcus Thuram celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 second-leg football match between Inter Milan and Feyenoord Rotterdam at the San Siro Stadium in Milan, on March 11, 2025. (AFP)
Inter Milan's French forward #09 Marcus Thuram celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 second-leg football match between Inter Milan and Feyenoord Rotterdam at the San Siro Stadium in Milan, on March 11, 2025. (AFP)
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Thuram Drops Out of France Squad Due to Ankle Injury 

Inter Milan's French forward #09 Marcus Thuram celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 second-leg football match between Inter Milan and Feyenoord Rotterdam at the San Siro Stadium in Milan, on March 11, 2025. (AFP)
Inter Milan's French forward #09 Marcus Thuram celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 second-leg football match between Inter Milan and Feyenoord Rotterdam at the San Siro Stadium in Milan, on March 11, 2025. (AFP)

France forward Marcus Thuram will miss their two-legged Nations League quarter-final against Croatia due to an ankle injury, the French Football Federation said in a statement late on Monday.

The 27-year-old Inter Milan striker, named in Didier Deschamp's 24-man squad last week, said after Inter's 4-1 aggregate win over Feyenoord in the Champions League last 16 that he had been playing through the injury for the past month.

The first leg against Croatia is in Split on Thursday and the return game at the Stade de France on March 23.