Osaka poised to make Olympic debut
KUALA LUMPUR: Japan's Naomi Osaka will return to the spotlight tomorrow, starting her Olympic campaign as a home crowd favourite after taking a mental health break two months ago.
Osaka, a fourtime Grand Slam champion and world No 2, has not played a competitive match since pulling out of the French Open in May amid controversy over her decision to skip all press conferences at the tournament in an effort to protect her mental wellbeing.
But with all of her major wins coming on hard courts — the same surface being used in Tokyo — the 23yearold is still seen as one of host Japan's strongest gold medal contenders in a field of 64 players each for women's and men's singles that is missing some of the biggest names in the sport.
Amid heightened coronavirus pandemic restrictions, Switzerland's Roger Federer and Spain's Rafael Nadal, each with multiple Grand Slams to their names, both pulled out ahead of the Games, along with reigning US Open men's champion Dominic Thiem.
In the women's singles, twotime Slam winner Simona Halep will be absent, as will American sisters Serena and Venus Williams, who have four gold medals each. Another US player, teenager Coco Gauff, pulled out earlier this week after testing positive for Covid19.
Osaka, who is making her Olympic debut, had originally been scheduled to begin the tournament on Centre Court at the Ariake Tennis Park today.
But she will now take on China's Zheng Saisai, ranked 52 in the world, tomorrow, following a request from Tokyo 2020 organisers, an International Tennis Federation (ITF) spokesperson confirmed to Reuters. There was no reason given for the change.
Last year's French Open champion, Iga Swiatek, will now play the first match of the Games against Mona Barthel, of Germany, today.
Players from 46 countries will compete for Olympic glory in the competition that could be complicated by Tokyo's intense summer heat. An International Tennis Federation spokesperson confirmed the Centre Court's roof can be closed if heat is excessive or in case of rain.
Wrapping up day one proceedings on Centre Court, Novak Djokovic will begin his quest to become the first man to complete a ‘‘Golden Slam’’ — victories at all four Grand Slam tournaments in a single year plus an Olympic singles Gold.
Germany's Steffi Graf is so far the only player to win a Golden Slam, in 1988, but topranked Djokovic could soon match her feat if he wins in Tokyo and then claims the US Open title in August.
Djokovic plays 139thranked Bolivian Hugo Dellien in the opener, and could face a potential quarterfinal meeting with No 5 seed Andrey Rublev or Japan's Kei Nishikori. — Reuters