"It's special" - says Osaka on returning to Indian Wells

Naomi Osaka won her first big event in 2018 at the Indian Wells Masters and now she will make her return to the event.

Osaka became a big name in tennis in 2018 when she won a couple of events including the 2018 US Open. The Japanese player participated in the Indian Wells Masters earlier that year and went all the way beating Kasatkina in the final. It was her first big trophy and it came only in her 2nd time playing at the event. Now she will be making a return to the event after getting a wild card.

The wild card entry was awarded to her so she doesn't have to play qualifiers. Due to her inactivity and the early Australian Open exit, Osaka dropped significantly in the rankings. On being awarded the wild card, Osaka released a statement saying it's special to return:

"To return to the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, the place I won my first big event, it's special."

Can Osaka finally play a strong event remains to be seen but the conditions will be in her favour. The event starts on March 8th.