Photo by Robert Prange/Getty Images

Naomi Osaka is already making plans for the 2026 season after showing some resurgent form this year.

Osaka reached the US Open semifinals, as well as reaching the final of the Canadian Open and the Auckland Open.

However, the four-time Grand Slam champion’s season came to an unfortunate ending, with Osaka left in tears at the Japan Open after appearing to injure her knee.

Osaka has already made changes to her team in the off-season, and she has now entered a tournament for the first time in 2026.

Photo by Robert Prange/Getty Images

Naomi Osaka signs up to play the United Cup for the first time

Osaka has finished the 2025 season as the world number 16, which is her highest year-end ranking since 2021.

As she looks to build on this next year, it has now been revealed that Osaka has placed her name on the entry list for the United Cup.

The United Cup is a mixed team event, which Osaka has never played before, and she is reported to have signed up to Japan’s team alongside ATP world number 306 Yasutaka Uchiyama.

However, there is some confusion around whether Osaka’s participation at the United Cup, as it had previously been announced that she would play at the WTA 250 tournament in Auckland, the tournament where she reached the final last year.

This announcement was made in September, but there are some restrictions around top 30 players competing in a WTA 250 tournament in the same week as a WTA 500, which the United Cup is classed as.

Who will be representing the USA at the United Cup next year?

Osaka is not the only Grand Slam champion who has been announced to be making her debut at the mixed team event next year, with Emma Raducanu also set to play the United Cup for the first time in 2026.

Some of the other big names on the entry list for the United Cup are Iga Swiatek, Alex de Minaur, Alexander Zverev, Casper Ruud, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Jasmine Paolini, Victoria Mboko, Barbora Krejcikova and Stefanos Tsitsipas.

These players will all be trying to stop the USA, who won the United Cup for the second time earlier this year.

The defending champions appear to be going with a similar lineup once again, with Coco Gauff and Taylor Fritz both entering the event once again.

They will look to reign supreme in the United Cup once again, which will get underway from January 2, taking place in both Perth and Sydney.