Grand Slam Champ Naomi Osaka Gets Wild Card Into BNP Paribas Open

INDIAN WELLS, CA — Naomi Osaka of Japan was awarded a wild card to play in next month's BNP Paribas Open, four years after she was the tournament's women's singles champion, organizers announced Thursday.

Osaka needed the wild card to play in the main draw without having to qualify because of her ranking. Osaka was 82nd in the Women's Tennis Association singles rankings released Monday, mainly because of her absences from tournaments following her withdrawal from the French Open in May, citing mental health issues.

"To return to Indian Wells Tennis Garden, the place I won my first big event, it's special," Osaka said. "It was special in 2018 and will be special again this March."

Osaka has not played since losing to American Amanda Anisimova in the third round of the Australian Open Jan. 21, her second tournament since losing in the third round of the U.S. Open to Canadian Leylah Fernandez Sept. 3.

Osaka has been ranked as high as No. 1 in singles by the Women's Tennis Association and is the first Asian player to hold the top ranking. She is a four-time Grand Slam singles champion, having won the U.S. Open in 2018 and 2020, as well as the Australian Open in 2019 and 2021.

Although Osaka was born in Japan to a Haitian father and a Japanese mother, she has lived and trained in the United States since early childhood.

The BNP Paribas Open will be held from March 7-20 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden and will feature top-ranked players from around the world.

On the men's side, Rafael Nadal of Spain will compete in the tournament for the first time since 2019. He was unable to play in 2021 due to a foot injury, although he returned to the sport last month to become the men's 2022 Australian Open singles champion.

Nadal will be joined by 2021 US Open champion and 2022 Australian Open finalist Daniil Medvedev, 2021 Nitto ATP Finals winner Alexander Zverev and 2021 French Open finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas. Last year's champion at Indian Wells, Cameron Norrie, will also make a return alongside world No. 1 player Novak Djokovic.

On the woman's side, world No. 1 player Ashleigh Barty of Australia will seek her first title in the desert after sitting out in 2021. Barty's 2021 season included five singles titles and her second career Grand Slam trophy at Wimbledon. Last month, Barty was the women's 2022 Australian Open singles champion.

Barty will be joined by 2021 BNP Paribas Open champion Paula Badosa, 2021 Madrid Open champion Aryna Sabalenka, 2021 French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova and Karolina Pliskova.

The 2022 tournament will require valid proof of full COVID-19 vaccination from fans.
The guidelines for players are governed by the protocols established by their respective governing bodies, the WTA and ATP, as well as any restrictions established by the United States in regard to the vaccination status of international travelers entering the country.

The full player list can be viewed at bnpparibasopen.com/players/list.

—City News Service and Toni McAllister contributed to this report.