Naomi Osaka will kick off her 2026 WTA Tour campaign at the United Cup in Australia this week.
The four-time Grand Slam champion will represent Japan in the fourth edition of the international event, which was won by the US last year.
Osaka begins her season following a much-improved second half to 2025, during which she enjoyed a return to her form of old.
After parting ways with Patrick Mouratoglou and appointing Tomasz Wiktorowski, she reached the final of the Canadian Open and the semifinals of the US Open; her best Grand Slam result since 2021.
At the Japan Open in October, Osaka withdrew before her quarterfinal matchup due to a leg injury, which ultimately marked the end of her season.
Naomi Osaka speaks about her form heading into the United Cup
The early finish gave Osaka an extended off-season, which she spoke about ahead of the United Cup.
In her pre-tournament press conference, the 28-year-old said: “Yeah, I mean, I think for me, I prioritised spending a lot of time with my daughter, so I was really glad that I was able to do that.
Which country do you think will win the United Cup?
“Of course, [I needed to] recover, because I do think the season was really long, even though I didn’t play the entire thing.
“Yeah, I think my form right now hopefully is good. I guess I’ll see what happens in the matches that I have to play, but overall, I’m pretty happy with how my year shaped up.
“I’m excited for this, I guess, upcoming year, too,” said Osaka, whose last tour-level title was the 2021 Australian Open.
Naomi Osaka said the off-season has been ‘quite difficult’
When asked how she weighs the balance of being a mother with the demands of the WTA Tour, Osaka replied: “I would say it’s definitely really tough.
“This off-season was quite difficult for me, as well, just because you try to be there for her all the time, and obviously, there are moments where you have to practice, or you have to do something. It is really difficult.
Which tennis player am I thinking of?
“I hope that I’m managing it or I’m juggling it well. I also hope there’s going to come a time that she understands why I did the things that I did.”
Japan are in a group with Great Britain and Greece at this year’s United Cup, which is being held in both Sydney and Perth.
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