Naomi Osaka receives US Open wild card as she struggles to regain form after giving birth

Amid a rocky postpartum comeback, Naomi Osaka has been granted a wild card spot in the US Open singles main draw, the United States Tennis Association announced.

Osaka, who represents Japan, claimed her first of four Grand Slam titles at Flushing Meadows in 2018 and won the tournament again in 2020. However, the 26-year-old has faced setbacks since rejoining the WTA Tour in January after a 15-month hiatus during which she gave birth to her daughter in July 2023.

The first-time mom has failed to advance past the quarterfinals at a tournament this season.

After a surprise loss Monday to American Ashlyn Krueger in the second round of qualifying for the Cincinnati Open, Osaka opened up about her struggles with elite tennis and postpartum in an Instagram post.

“My biggest issue is that I don’t feel like I’m in my body,” Osaka wrote. “It’s a strange feeling, missing balls I shouldn’t miss, hitting balls softer than I remember I used to. I try to tell myself: ‘It’s fine, you’re doing great. Just get through this one and keep pushing,’ mentally it’s really draining through.”

“Internally, I hear myself screaming: ‘What the hell is happening?!’” she added.

Once ranked No. 1, Osaka has fought her way back into the top 100 women since her return. However, her current ranking of No. 90 in the WTA’s most recent standings would not have been enough to qualify for the tournament without the wild card.

Osaka’s latest Grand Slam result was a second-round Wimbledon defeat in straight sets at the hands of rising American star Emma Navarro.

Three other former US Open champions — Bianca Andreescu, Dominic Thiem and Stan Wawrinka — also received singles wild cards.

Canada’s Andreescu, who won the US Open in 2019, returned to the Tour this year after a back injury sidelined her for nine months. Austria’s Thiem, the 2020 US Open men’s singles champion, has also been set back by injury and has announced the 2024 season will be his last due to a persistent wrist injury. Switzerland’s Wawrinka beat Novak Djokovic in the 2016 US Open final but, at No. 141, has since struggled to regain his previous form.

American players McCartney Kessler, Amanda Anisimova, Alexa Noel and Iva Jovic join Osaka and Andreescu as women’s singles wild card recipients, while Chris Eubanks, Zachary Svajda, Learner Tien, and Matthew Forbes have been awarded the remaining men’s wild card spots. France’s Chloe Paquet and Alexandre Muller as well as Australia’s Taylah Preston and Tristan Schoolkate also received wild cards because of a reciprocal exchange agreement with the French and Australian tennis federations.

The U.S. Open is scheduled to begin Aug. 26 and end Sept. 8 in Flushing Meadows, New York as Coco Gauff and Djokovic look to defend their singles titles.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Naomi Osaka headlines US Open wild card recipients