Naomi Osaka is feeling “very starry-eyed” at the prospect of playing in Wimbledon for the first time in five years. The 26-year-old from Japan has been handed a wildcard spot at this summer’s tournament, alongside the likes of Francesca Jones, Ajla Tomljanovic and Brit Emma Raducanu.
While Osaka has competed in SW19 three times before – making appearances in 2017, 2018 and 2019 – she has never managed to make it past the third round. And with four Grand Slam titles to her name, beating the likes of Serena Williams, Petra Kvitová, Victoria Azarenka and Jennifer Brady to win them, Osaka will be hoping to go far this summer.
Touching on her surprise of being given a wildcard into the tournament, Osaka took to Instagram and posted a picture of the Wimbledon logo with the caption: “Feeling very starry-eyed. Can’t believe I’m here, wow.”
She later added with a couple of laughing emojis: “A lady just asked me when’s the last time I was here because they made some changes. I said 2019 and she chuckled at me.”
Osaka will be raring to go at Wimbledon following a five-year break from the competition. In 2023, the star withdrew due to pregnancy, while 2022 saw her skip the tournament due to a leg injury.
She was taking a mental health break during 2021’s edition, and 2020 saw no play as a result of Covid. Osaka will be looking to build on her two US and Australian Open titles this year, but is up against some stiff competition in doing so.
The official draw for the tournament comes Friday (June 28) and features a number of household names like Katie Boulter, Iga Swiatek and Ons Jabeur.
Raducanu, meanwhile, has also been drafted into this year’s tournament at Wimbledon via wildcard after an impressive start to the year.
The former British No.1 made it to the fourth round of the Grand Slam in 2021 before being knocked out of contention by Tomljanović 6-0, 4-3 – and will be hoping for a better run this year.
Content Source: www.express.co.uk