Naomi Osaka signs up for historic event as tennis returns to Queen's Club after 50 years

Former world number one Naomi Osaka is set to play in the HSBC Championships in a historic event. The tennis is set to return to the Queen’s Club for the first time in half a century and the management announced the plans by signing one of the biggest names in women’s tennis.

The development was confirmed in a post on the social media platform Facebook. The 27-year-old was once regarded as the best player in women’s tennis but had a relatively hard time ever since returning to the court recently after a lengthy spell on the sidelines because of pregnancy.

Osaka participated in the Australian Open 2025, where she was forced to retire from the third-round clash of the first Grand Slam of the year against Belinda Bencic of Switzerland. She lost the first set with a score of 7-6 and was not fit enough to continue the contest as she decided to retire from the contest.

The development was a major setback for the four-time Grand Slam winner, who was hoping for an improved outing in 2025 after struggling for the most part last season. She recently admitted that she will consider retiring from the sport if results do not improve in the near future. While talking to the media after the match, she admitted disappointment after seeing her journey end in the competition in the manner in which it did. Unsurprisingly, the Osaka-born star has not been featured in any professional tennis competition since the end of the first Grand Slam of the year, and it is not clear when she will make her next appearance.