Naomi Osaka set to make long-awaited tennis return at Brisbane International

Four-time Grand Slam singles champion Naomi Osaka will make her comeback to tennis at the Brisbane International warm-up tournament ahead of the Australian Open.

Tournament officials on Friday confirmed Osaka will contest the Dec. 31-Jan. 7 event to start her 2024 season.

A two-time Australian and U.S. Open winner, Osaka was a surprise withdrawal from last year’s Australian Open before later revealing she was pregnant.

The former tennis No. 1 announced the birth of her daughter Shai in July.

Osaka was born in Japan and moved to the United States with her parents when she was three. She hasn’t competed on tour since an event in Tokyo in September 2022, shortly after she lost in the first round of the U.S. Open.

Australian Open officials announced last month that Osaka would be in the field for the year’s first major starting Jan. 14.