Naomi Osaka takes wild card into San Jose

Naomi Osaka

View Profile will play her first tournament since Roland Garros later this month at the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic in San Jose, California. The four-time major champion has accepted a wild card into a field that already includes Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina

View Profile , World No.5 Ons Jabeur

View Profile , American teen Coco Gauff

View Profile and 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu

View Profile .

The Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic begins on Aug. 1 at San Jose State University. For more information about the tournament, click here. 

Jabeur, Rybakina, Gauff lead San Jose entry list

With her wild-card entry, Osaka is set to return to where it all began. Osaka made her WTA main-draw debut at the tournament in 2014 when the event was held at Stanford University. Then 16, the No.406-ranked Osaka was an alternate into qualifying and successfully advanced to her first main draw. There, Osaka saved match point to power through Sam Stosur, 4-6, 7-6 (7), 7-5. This will be Osaka's first appearance since the event moved to San Jose. 

“We are very excited to have Naomi Osaka

View Profile returning to the Bay Area,” tournament director Vickie Gunnarsson said. “She made her WTA debut at our event and watching her grow both on and off the court has been amazing.”

Gunnarsson added, “She is not only an incredible player but her commitment to equality and social change is truly inspiring.” 

The Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic has a rich history as a groundbreaking event. Co-founded by Billie Jean King, the tournament was the first event of the historic 1971 women's professional tennis tour, a precursor to the WTA.

Created for women by women, the tournament’s list of past champions reads like a who's who of tennis legends including Serena Williams, Lindsay Davenport, Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Andrea Jaeger, Monica Seles, Martina Hingis, Venus Williams and Kim Clijsters.