Tennis-Former champion Osaka withdraws from Australian Open

FILE PHOTO: Tennis - U.S. Open - Flushing Meadows, New York, United States - August 30, 2022 Japan's Naomi Osaka in action during her first round match against Danielle Collins of the U.S. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton

(Reuters) -Two-times champion Naomi Osaka has pulled out of the Australian Open, organisers of the year's first Grand Slam which begins on Jan. 16 said on Sunday without elaborating on the reason, as a cloud hung over one of the sport's brightest stars.

The Japanese former world number one's name was on the entry list for the Australian Open, but Osaka was not scheduled to play in warm-up tournaments in Adelaide and Hobart, raising doubts about her participation in the hardcourt major.