Absent Osaka leaves Open officials completely confused

Naomi Osaka has not been spotted on a tennis court since September and may not even bother with the Australian Open.

That seems to be the verdict form Grand Slam organisers in Melbourne who have confessed that they have been unable to reach the eccentric Japanese player to see if she plans to play the event which begins on January 16.

The one-time shooting star has faded into oblivion since winning Australia in 2019 and 2021 and the US Open in 2018 and 2020.

The shy former No. 1 who made millions in a brief span of success, hit the wall at Roland Garros in 2021, withdrawing from the event rather than face the required post-match media conferences.

The painfully shy 25-year-old has barely made a ripple since.

Host broadcasters the Nine Network report  that AO officials have been unable in recent days to get in private touch with LA-based Osaka to determine if she actually plans to front up for the major.

She was reportedly spotted last week in France with a rapper boyfriend but is since believed to have returned to her Californian mansion..

Osaka last played on the WTA in Tokyo four months ago, competing on one game before her first-round opponent quit; she then handed in a walkover herself in the second round and dropped from view.

Her presence in the lineup at Melbourne is looking more and more unlikely with her fragile mental health now holding back what was once a world-class career.