Naomi Osaka 🇯🇵 has pulled out of the @australianopen 🇦🇺🐨 charity match to be played on Tuesday Emma will now play Donna Vekic 🇭🇷 #EmmaRaducanu | #Raducanu
Naomi Osaka withdraws from charity match with Emma Raducanu at Australian Open, replaced by Donna Vekic
WTATuesday, 09 January 2024 at 07:52
Naomi Osaka won't play another match prior to the Australian Open after all with the former World No.1 initially set to face Emma Raducanu in a charity exhibition during Opening Week. Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz are also among those in action.
Osaka was due to face the former US Open champion in a highly anticipated meeting which was slated for Tuesday. But for the former World No.1 who practiced with Amanda Anisimova, she likely didn't want any potential injuries ahead of next week.
After being a major feature of the advertising, Osaka's name was removed from the coverage on Australian TV with Vekic v Raducanu instead inserted which was then confirmed with the Croatian inserted into placeholder advertising.
It will be a busy week for Raducanu who is also slated to play Kooyong where she is likely to take on 16-year-old prodigy, Mirra Andreeva. She has been joined by childhood coach, Nick Cavaday in Melbourne who has been installed as her new coach at least for the Australian Open. She played last week in Auckland where she lost competitively to Elina Svitolina in three sets and was also benefited by the news of withdrawals handing her a spot in the Main Draw of the 2024 Australian Open. Osaka on the other hand played in Brisbane where she lost in the second round to Karolina Pliskova in a good comeback effort from the multiple Australian Open champion.
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