WTA Indian Wells: As expected - Naomi Osaka won't play
Naomi Osaka will not be returning to the WTA circus in Indian Wells. That was announced late yesterday Wednesday.
by tennisnet.com
last edit: Sep 24, 2021, 02:21 pm
Naomi Osaka said after her loss to Leylah Fernandez at the US Open in 2021 that she did not know when she would next play a professional tennis match. It has been clear since Wednesday: In any case, this will not be the case at the WTA 1000 tournament in Indian Wells, which has been postponed to autumn. Which was to be expected. You shouldn't bet on participating in the WTA finals either. After the event was moved to Guadalajara, the world number one Ashleigh Barty could skip the finals.
Naomi Osaka has fond memories of Indian Wells, and in 2018 she celebrated her first really big tournament success there. Which she confirmed with the triumph at the US Open in the same year. A year later, Bianca Andreescu not only managed exactly the same feat, she also achieved a 1000-place title in Canada.
After the tournament, which is often referred to as the fifth Grand Slam tournament, could not take place in 2020 due to the corona pandemic, Andreescu is now traveling to the California desert as the defending champion. From the historical list of winners, only Simona Halep, Viktoria Azarenka and Elena Vesnina are eligible for a start. All of the other Indian Wells winners have already started their well-deserved tennis pensions. With the exception of Serena Williams, who won her second and to date last title 20 years ago. But Serena is not to be expected this year either.