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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- If there is some other reason, like exhaustion or self-preservation by not playing in consecutive tourneys, then simply say so. There's no shame in self preservation. Since the WTA obviously does not seriously consider a player's physical and mental stress as they schedule back-to-back majors, it's okay to adhere to such a healthy agenda and admit it. The illness thing is kind of suspect at this point; if only because of the timing pattern.
mandoist10-05-2024 - So, Elena Rybakina has again withdrawn due to illness (in Rome). Fans are concerned if this is truly a gastrointestinal issue. Why the secrecy? Is it truly an illness causing these withdrawals? It may be helpful -- even encouraging -- for others whom also suffer whatever illness is ongoing here to know what she is dealing with; and how. A form of Colitis? Ulcers? What's up? Timing has been last minute. It's a bummer all around.mandoist10-05-2024
- Tennis is ridiculous to maintain the tradition of silence. If they can play in open courts like Rome with all the noise from each court they surely could survive cheering, etc., during play (i.e., a singles match with only a 2 meter fence between them and a men's doubles -- and very loud noise from each side).mandoist10-05-2024
- Gauff does not have the overall performance/competition record to match these (Big 3) players.mandoist10-05-2024
- Daft journalist alert. Not the one who wrote this article but the one mentioned here.MrAndreeva10-05-2024
