Naomi Osaka, Amanda Anisimova and other former WTA top players eligible for 'Special Ranking' at Australian Open 2024

Naomi Osaka, Angelique Kerber and Amanda Anisimova, among other big names, will be eligible for a Special Ranking at next year's Australian Open.

The ‘Special Ranking’ rule was updated by the WTA in 2019, allowing players to take a break from the sport in case of pregnancy, serious injuries or other reasons and earn top seedings in Major tournaments.

Naomi Osaka has been out of action since September last year due to her pregnancy with her partner and hip-hop artist Cordae. She gave birth to her daughter in July, following which she resumed training for a potential comeback in 2024.

Angelique Kerber, meanwhile, also announced in August last year that she was expecting a child. The 35-year-old gave birth to her daughter in April and has since promised to make her return to professional tennis soon.

Amanda Anisimova has also been out of action, having taken an indefinite break from tennis citing burnout in May this year. The former World No. 21 has been enjoying her downtime from the sport since then, joining the Nova Southeastern University (NSU) in Florida as a student athlete.

Ajla Tomjanovic, Jennifer Brady, Caty McNally, Aleksandra Krunic and Hsieh Su-wei, on their part, are a few more WTA players that have had an injury lay-off recently.

Osaka and Kerber will not receive a very high seeding if they play at the 2024 Australian Open, since their Special Ranking is 46 and 31, respectively. Anisimova, meanwhile, will receive a somewhat low Special Ranking of 61.

Tomjanovic, Brady, McNally, Krunic and Su-wei can also register for respective Special Rankings of 33, 14, 71, 99 and 106, which will allow them to get a direct entry into the women's singles draw in Melbourne.

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Naomi Osaka wants to get back to World No. 1 and win Grand Slam: Long-time performance coach Florian Zitzelsberger

Naomi Osaka retrieves a ball

Naomi Osaka's performance coach Florian Zitzelsberger recently spoke to Tennis Channel about the four-time Major winner's preparation for the 2024 WTA tour season.

The German coach asserted that Osaka is very motivated to get back to the top, saying:

"She’s super motivated and I’m super pumped to help her. She inspires the whole team with this champion mindset: she just wants to go for it. I’m hoping her opponents will read this and get a little bit afraid of her!”

He also asserted that the Japanese star is eager to become the women's World No. 1 and win multiple Major titles in the future.

“Where she is today is what makes working with her so inspiring. She wants to get back to world No. 1, she wants to win Grand Slams," he added.