She made her last tournament appearance at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo in September 2022, after giving birth to daughter Shai.
Asked if she would be in Melbourne at the start of next year, Osaka replied “yes” to ESPN at the US Open on Wednesday.
She said she expects to return to the women’s tour full-time in 2024, after participating in a mental health forum with Michael Phelps.
“It’s definitely way more tournaments than I used to play,” said Osaka.
“I think it’s because I realise like I don’t know how the beginning of the year is going to go for me,” she explained.
“I don’t know the level of play and I think I kind of have to ease into it, so at the very least I’m going to set myself up for a very good end of the year.”
