Naomi Osaka touches down in Australia ahead of 2024 comeback, wishes fans a Merry Christmas from Brisbane International

Naomi Osaka has landed in Australia ahead of her 2024 tennis comeback, and has wished her fans a Merry Christmas. The four-time Grand Slam champion, who last appeared in a competitive match at the 2022 Japan Open, will kickstart her return to action at the WTA 250 Brisbane International.

Osaka spent all of 2023 on the sidelines, taking a maternity break from tennis. She and boyfriend Cordae welcomed their first daughter, Shai, into the world in July this year. Soon after that, the Japanese immediately made known her intentions to return to the game she loved.

The former World No. 1 has now touched down in Brisbane, from where she shared a post on Instagram to let fans know of her arrival.

"Merry Christmas," Osaka captioned a photo of the courts at the Brisbane International, along with a tennis ball and Christmas tree emoji.

Screengrab from Instagram

In a recent interview about what motivated her to return to the WTA Tour, Naomi Osaka credited her daughter and the newfound feeling of motherhood as her inspirations. She said she feels like she is "playing for Shai" now.

"I've never been a person that's really good at playing for myself, if that makes sense. So I kind of like the feeling of having the responsibility of having to take care of Shai and wanting to show her around the world. I kind of feel more like I'm playing for her [Shai]," Osaka said.

Naomi Osaka to return to Grand Slam action at the 2024 Australian Open

Tennis - Olympics: Day 4

Following the Brisbane International, Naomi Osaka will travel to Melbourne to compete at the Australian Open, her first Grand Slam appearance since the 2022 US Open. The 26-year-old, who has won the Australian Open twice already in her career so far, has made use of her Special Ranking to enter the tournament next year.

Ahead of her comeback, Osaka spoke about the perspective motherhood has added to her life. She said she wanted to cherish the years she has left to play tennis and that she wants to become a good role model for her daughter in the coming years.

“I've stepped away from tennis before. But this time, it was the longest duration of my life. And I think it kind of gave me a perspective like, Hey, you're not going to play tennis forever.

"And you kind of have to cherish the years that you can play. I do want to be a good role model for Shai, and I want her to see that this was an important chapter in my life,” Naomi Osaka said.