Naomi Osaka has learned who will be her opening opponent in her first return to Wimbledon since 2019 as the four-time Grand Slam champion has drawn world No. 53 Diane Parry.
Osaka, a former world No. 1, made three consecutive Wimbledon main draw appearances between 2017 and 2019 but since then hasn’t played due to various reasons.
But after withdrawing from Wimbledon in 2021 because she was addressing her mental health at the time – skipping The Championships in 2022 due to an ankle issue – and missing the tournament last year due to pregnancy, the 26-year-old Japanese is finally ready to play again at The All England Club.
Details about the Osaka – Parry matchup
When Osaka meets Parry, it will be the first time that she is taking on the 21-year-old Frenchwoman.
So far this grass season, Osaka reached the ‘s-Hertogenbosch quarterfinal but also lost in the Berlin first round. On the other side, Parry made a great start to her grass season, making the Nottingham semifinal before losing to Karolina Pliskova. But after a deep Nottingham run, Parry exited this week’s Bad Homburg in the first round.
Although Parry has one semifinal this summer, this is still a very favorable matchup for Osaka.
When the grass swing started and Osaka played on the surface for the first time in five years in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, she was able to win against Elise Mertens and Suzan Lamens and she was also inches away from beating Bianca Andreescu in a thriller quarterfinal.
During her ‘s-Hertogenbosch run, Osaka was very pleased with her level and said she was hoping to one day win a grass event.
“Hopefully to win a tournament. That’s a long term project. I just hope I continue to play well and be healthy,” Osaka said.
In the past, Osaka twice exited Wimbledon in the third round and once lost in the first round.