In the midst of a challenging return to tennis after giving birth, Naomi Osaka has been granted a wild card entry into the singles main draw of the US Open, as announced by the United States Tennis Association.

Osaka, competing for Japan, won her first Grand Slam title at the US Open in 2018, and successfully defended her title in 2020. However, since rejoining the Women’s Tennis Association Tour in January after a 15-month break for her daughter’s birth in July 2023, the 26-year-old has encountered various obstacles.

This season, the new mother has not made it past the quarterfinals in any tournament.

Following an unexpected defeat to American player Ashlyn Krueger in the second round of qualifying at the Cincinnati Open, Osaka shared her feelings about her challenges in elite tennis and postpartum recovery in an Instagram post.

“I’m really struggling with feeling like I’m not in my own body,” Osaka expressed. “It’s a bizarre sensation, missing shots that I shouldn’t be missing and hitting balls with less power than I used to. I remind myself it’s okay to take it one step at a time and just keep pushing forward, but it’s mentally exhausting.”

“Inside, I’m really confused, asking myself: ‘What is going on?!’” she added.

Formerly ranked No. 1, Osaka has fought her way back into the top 100 of women’s tennis since her return, but her current ranking of No. 90 in the latest WTA standings would not have qualified her for the tournament without the wild card.

Her most recent Grand Slam performance resulted in a second-round loss at Wimbledon to emerging American player Emma Navarro.

Additionally, three other past US Open champions have also received wild cards for singles: Bianca Andreescu, Dominic Thiem, and Stan Wawrinka.

Bianca Andreescu, who captured the US Open title in 2019, made her return to the tour this year after recovering from a back injury that kept her off the court for nine months. Dominic Thiem, the men’s singles champion from 2020, has faced his own injury battles and announced that the upcoming 2024 season will be his last due to ongoing wrist issues. Stan Wawrinka, who triumphed over Novak Djokovic in the 2016 US Open final, has had difficulty regaining his form and currently sits at No. 141 in the rankings.

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

The US Open is set to take place from August 26 to September 8 in Flushing Meadows, New York, where Coco Gauff and Novak Djokovic will be looking to defend their singles titles.