Naomi Osaka, a 4time grand slam winner has had a year of mixed emotions. After winning the Australian Open in 2021, she failed to shine in the other tournaments. She decided to withdraw from Wimbledon, then featured in the Olympics and got eliminated early in the tournament.
The Japanese sensation then featured in the last grand slam tournament of the year, the US Open. The result was still the same as she got eliminated early in the tournament. Since then, she has been on an indefinite break as she says she is not mentally prepared for playing. The WTA finals are set to start in a few days. But can the Japanese player take part? Here’s everything that you need to know about the player.
Can Naomi Osaka Qualify for the finals?
As of now, Naomi Osaka sits at the 10th spot in the current rankings released by the WTA. The chances of her making it to the finals in Mexico seem to be quite dull. She currently has 2771 points. Earlier the number one player Ashleigh Barty was competing but as she now withdraws her name, the spot will be given to Iga Swiatek and Gabriel Muguruza. This means that the last two spots will be filled by Ons Jabeur and Paula Badosa, the one who overtook Naomi Osaka to move higher into the rankings.
Naomi Osaka wins a very good first match of the WTA Finals 2019, beating Petra Kvitova 7-6(1), 4-6, 6-4 on the Red Group pic.twitter.com/BlYyJSshkG
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) October 27, 2019
For Naomi Osaka to reach the finals, she will have to increase her points by approximately 500 if she wishes to seal a spot in the top 8. She needs to participate in the upcoming tournaments and perform exceptionally well if she wants to play in Mexico. Though currently, she is on a break. It will now be interesting to see if the player participates in the tournament or starts afresh next year.
