Watch: Mubadala Silicon Valley shares tribute to Naomi Osaka after Japanese is confirmed to play in the tournament.
Last seen in action at the 2022 French Open in a first-round exit at the hands of Amanda Anisimova, Naomi Osaka is scheduled to make her return at the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic that begins in San Jose on August 1.
Interestingly, Osaka made her WTA main draw debut at the same tournament in 2014, back when it was called the Bank of the West Classic. To pay tribute to the former World No. 1 on the occasion of her receiving a wildcard for this year's edition, the event organizers shared a series of posts on social media chronicling the beginning of her WTA journey.
Back where it all started in 2014…
A #TBT @naomiosaka thread 🧵
#MubadalaSVC https://t.co/crFgtMW7Lg
In one of the videos, the Japanese player is seen alongside American tennis legend Serena Williams, who is in the process of clicking a selfie with the newcomer. Serena went on to win her third title in four years that season, getting past Angelique Kerber in the finals.
Naomi Osaka, meanwhile, created a bit of history for herself by getting past former World No. 1 Samantha Stosur in an unforgettable opening-round match after coming through the qualification rounds. Stosur was ranked World No. 19 at the time, while the Japanese was ranked outside the Top-400.
One of the pictures showcases Osaka, then 16 years old, proudly standing beside the scoreboard displaying the result of the match.
16-year-old @naomiosaka, then ranked 400th in the world, earned her first WTA victory against Top 20 Sam Stosur https://t.co/rcuMPWLIaX
The Japanese teenager subsequently lost her second-round match to Andrea Petkovic of Germany, unable to repeat her heroics from the opener.
Naomi Osaka yet to win a Grand Slam title in 2022
Naomi Osaka defeated her childhood idol Serena Williams to win the 2018 US Open title, thus becoming the first Japanese player to win a Grand Slam. By winning her second consecutive Grand Slam title at the 2019 Australian Open, Osaka cemented her position as one of the stars of the WTA Tour.
She went on to win her second US Open title by getting past Victoria Azarenka in the final in 2020. Jennifer Brady failed to stop Osaka from winning her fourth Grand Slam title, losing to the Japanese player in the final of the 2021 Australian Open.
Unfortunately, mental health issues following last year's French Open and a run of poor form have hampered her progress since. Amanda Anisimova halted the 24-year-old's progress at both the Australian Open and the French Open earlier this year.
The American got past Osaka in the third round in Melbourne before ousting her in the opening round at Roland Garros. As for Wimbledon, Osaka did not show up at the Grass Major, citing an Achilles injury in the days prior to the start of the tournament. If the former World No. 1 fails to win the US Open title in the coming weeks, it will mark the first time since 2018 where she is finishing the year without a Slam title to her name.