It’s a changed landscape at the top as Osaka returns to the Australian Open

A lot has changed in the world of women’s tennis since the 2022 U.S. Open, when Naomi Osaka last played a major tournament.

Aryna Sabalenka went from a good player who couldn’t get it done on the biggest stage to a great player who is defending a Grand Slam title for the first time this month in Melbourne.

Coco Gauff, long pegged as a future No. 1 and the heir apparent to the Williams sisters, broke through in September with her first major at the U.S. Open.