Craig Tiley, the tournament organizer for the Australian Open, has opened up on the "unbelievable excitement" that will be provided by the return of tennis legends Naomi Osaka, Angelique Kerber, and Caroline Wozniacki at the 2024 edition of the Grand Slam.

Two-time Australian Open champion Osaka, who also has two US Open titles to her name, withdrew days before the 2023 tournament as she announced that she was expecting her first child with her boyfriend, rapper Cordae. In July, she gave birth to their daughter Shai.

Meanwhile, three-time Grand Slam champion Kerber announced her pregnancy in August 2022 and welcomed her daughter in February of this year. Both she and Osaka are aiming to return to the sport at the major in Melbourne.

Read also

"He did not deserve such treatment": Novak Djokovic condemns exclusion of Marco Trungelliti

Tiley lauds return of tennis icons

Speaking on the latest episode of the AO Show podcast, Tiley expressed his excitement for the return of the tennis stars.

"We're gonna welcome back players we know that this is their favorite place to play. But not only that, they've had great success here. Naomi Osaka, really excited about her coming back. Angie Kerber, who's been out of it. And they've all given birth to their first child and really excited for them," he said.

Tiley went on to include 2018 Australian Open champion Wozniacki, who returned to the sport in August of this year - three and a half years after she initially retired, during which time she gave birth to two children.

"And of course, Caroline Wozniacki, who won her only Grand Slam here at the Australian Open, very exciting moment for her. So great to have them back and we know they've all been training and ready to play, and we'll give it a great start in January," he continued.

Read also

Carlos Alcaraz shows off a suitcase worth.. 1,000,000$!

Tiley also shared his thoughts on the younger generation in the women's draw, such as the highly-anticipated appearances of Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, and Aryna Sabalenka.

"On the woman's side, you're going to have the greats of the game trying to bat away the younger players, they'd want to maintain that position. Coco Gauff, what a great US Open she had, coming in and arguably playing the best. Swiatek is also at the Australian Open, she'd love to go further than she's been before.

"And you can't count out Salabenka, the No. 1 player in the world, and use the platform with success at the Australian Open 2023 to have a great year. So them and quite a few of the other players, the young and up-and-coming players, they're gonna provide some unbelievable excitement on the woman's draw," he said.

#AusOpen

@AustralianOpen

·Follow

Returning SERVE 👑 AO 2024 will see @naomiosaka, @CaroWozniacki, and @AngeliqueKerber back in action 💙

Watch on Twitter

723

Reply

Copy link

Read 39 replies