Naomi Osaka took to the practice court Wednesday ahead of her return to tennis at the Brisbane International.

The former world No. 1 is set to make her WTA comeback at the tournament, which begins Sunday. She spent the last year out on maternity leave, and she gave birth to her daughter Shai in July.

A two-time Australian Open and US Open champion, Osaka pulled out of the 2023 Australian Open in Melbourne before revealing her pregnancy. Osaka last competed at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo in September 2022.

“She’s really pumped, excited to be back in Brisbane,” tournament director Cameron Pearson said Wednesday. “She arrived Christmas morning and was out practicing a few hours later. No Christmas pudding for her, she was straight into it.”

The 26-year-old also spoke Friday about how motherhood has given her a new outlook on the game.

“Being a mum has changed my life a lot. I think it changed my perspective on a lot of things,” Osaka said. “Giving birth was one of the most painful things I’ve ever gone through. It’s definitely made me feel like physically I can handle a lot.

“I want to show Shai that she’s capable of everything, so that’s one of my main purposes and main reasons why I want to be back out here.”

But she also has realistic expectations about the Australian Open after having not competed in over a year.

“I’ve given myself the biggest chance to do well, but at the same time, I haven’t had any match play,” Osaka said. “I’m just embracing the fact that it’s my first tournament in a very long time. I’m just trying to have fun and do well at the same time.”

Osaka received a wild-card entry to the tournament. The field also includes reigning Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka, US Open champion Coco Gauff, world No. 1 Iga Swiatek and Sloane Stephens in the 54-player women’s draw.

This year's WNBA MVP favorite A'ja Wilson reached yet another milestone on Sunday, becoming the first player to ever record 1000+ points in a single season.

The superstar's latest feat — achieved in her 29-point performance in the Aces' 84-71 win over Connecticut — comes just days after she shattered the league's single-season scoring record​.

All-but-guaranteed to finish 2024 as the WNBA's single-season points leader,​ Wilson has put together one of the most impressive statistical campaigns in league history. As of today, she's only three rebounds away from breaking Angel Reese's new single-season rebounds record​, set before the Chicago rookie's season-ending injury.

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Rookie Caitlin Clark captures two more WNBA records

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark added two more records to her historic rookie season this weekend, breaking the league's single-season assist record on Friday night before setting the single-season rookie scoring record on Sunday.

The Rookie of the Year frontrunner surpassed Alyssa Thomas's 2023 record of 316 assists in Friday's 78-74 loss to the Aces. Clark extended her hold on the league's new record on Sunday, now boasting 329 dimes on the season with one game left.

Also in Sunday's 110-109 Fever victory over the Wings, Clark put up a career-high 35 points, including one that officially broke Seimone Augustus's single-season rookie scoring record of 744 set in 2006. Clark now has 761 points across Indiana's 39 completed games.

Notably, the WNBA's expanded 40-game schedule means that four-time WNBA champion Augustus still holds the rookie record for points per game, as her fallen record was in a 34-game season.

Three-way team tie adds to WNBA playoff race drama

With the Sky's two weekend losses plus the Mystics and Dream splitting their two weekend contests with one win apiece, Chicago, Washington, and Atlanta all sit with 13-25 season records. All three are still in postseason contention with the final WNBA Playoff spot up for grabs.

League tiebreakers give Washington, who currently sits in the coveted eighth-place position, the postseason edge. The Mystics will try to maintain their tenuous hold on that spot when they face the league-leading Liberty tomorrow before closing out their season against a tough Indiana team on Thursday.

The ninth-place Sky and 10th-place Dream face equal uphill battles to usurp the Mystics this week. After playing each other on Tuesday, Chicago will close out their 2024 regular season against the third-place Sun while Atlanta does the same against the Liberty on Thursday.

With just six games to play, the currently unbeaten Orlando Pride could become the first club in NWSL history to finish regular-season play without a single loss.

Having already clinched an NWSL playoff spot — the Pride's first since 2017 — Orlando extended their record-breaking unbeaten run to 21​ with Friday's 0-0 draw with third-place Kansas City. The weekend's result was also the club's fourth-straight clean sheet, setting a new club record.

However, the path to NWSL glory won't be easy: Orlando will face four top teams before the regular season's early November finale.

Portland Thorns continue late-season NWSL losing streak

Elsewhere on Friday, USWNT stars Sophia Smith​ and Sam Coffey's Portland Thorns dropped their fourth-straight​ match — the longest regular-season losing streak in club history.

After a historically slow start to 2024, Portland reassigned head coach Mike Norris and promoted assistant coach Rob Gale. The team quickly responded, rattling off result after result to climb the NWSL table and insert themselves into Shield contention. Momentum, however, has waned since the Olympic break.

With Friday's 1-0 loss to Chicago on Friday, Portland is still sixth in the standings, but a slim two points over Bay FC is all that separates them from the eighth and final playoff spot.

With the playoff race heating up​, the four-time league champs​ must rally around standouts like Smith. Otherwise, the Thorns are in danger of putting up the worst regular-season finish in club history.

Washington Spirit win books ticket to NWSL postseason

In other postseason news, the Spirit became the second club to clinch a playoff berth this weekend, downing Houston 3-0 on Sunday.

Striker Ashley Hatch led Washington's scoring with a first-half brace, while forward Trinity Rodman notched an assist before netting the team's third goal.

The WNBA has a new single-season scoring champ in A'ja Wilson, who surpassed Jewell Loyd's 2023 record of 939 points by dropping 27 against Indiana on Wednesday, boosting her season total to 956.

With four games left​ in Las Vegas's season, Wilson could easily become the first WNBA player to ever record 1,000+ points in one season.

"She's not just the best player in the world, she might be the most loved and adored by her teammates. I mean, this woman is special," commented Aces head coach Becky Hammon after the game.

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2024 has been the year of the broken WNBA record

Thanks to achievements at both the individual and team level, the 2024 WNBA season has already left a lasting impression on the record books. In addition to Wilson's points tally, Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese set a new single-season rebound record before a wrist injury cut her season short.

Just five assists away from setting a new single-season assists record, Indiana rookie Caitlin Clark is on the brink of joining the bar-raising party.

While adding games likely plays a role in these feats, 2024 — the league's second 40-game run — has seen all three major stats fall in record time. Reese broke Sylvia Fowles's rebound record in 32 games this season, Wilson surpassed Loyd's scoring record in 35, and Clark is looking to break Alyssa Thomas's assist record in 38.

Final WNBA playoff spot on the line in last regular-season weekend

Tonight, Wilson and Clark will face off in their last regular-season matchup, as Indiana tries to earn their first win against the reigning champs this year.

Meanwhile, the race for the final playoff spot has never been tighter. Wednesday's huge win over Chicago putting the 10th-place Mystics just one game outside of postseason contention. With two games against ninth-place Atlanta this weekend, Washington could officially rise into that last playoff spot by Sunday night.

As for current eight-spot Chicago, the Sky will try to maintain their position by bouncing back against second-place Minnesota tonight before the top four teams in the standings battle for survival on Sunday.

Earlier this week, the WNBA Players Union (WNBPA) spoke up against controversial comments made by league commissioner Cathy Engelbert on CNBC's Power Lunch on Monday.

When asked to address concerning social media exchanges regarding superstar rookies Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese "where race... where sexuality is sometimes introduced into the conversation," Engelbert dodged the question, choosing instead to frame what she described as a "rivalry" in a positive light.

"The one thing I know about sports, you need rivalry," said the commissioner, comparing Reese and Clark to Magic Johnson​ and Larry Bird. "That's what makes people watch. They want to watch games of consequence between rivals. They don't want everybody being nice to one another."

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WNBPA calls out subjects WNBA comm'r Engelbert dodged

After players began calling Engelbert out online, the WNBPA issued a statement denouncing racism, homophobia, and misogyny.

"Here is the answer that the Commissioner should have provided to the very clear question regarding the racism, misogyny, and harassment experienced by the Players," the statement read.

There is absolutely no place in sport — or in life — for the vile hate, racist language, homophobic comments, and the misogynistic attacks our players are facing on social media.... Fandom should lift up the game, not tear down the very people who bring it to life."

WNBA stars address Engelbert's CNBC comments

Some of the league's top players took to the press to reinforce the WNBPA's words, including Aces forward Alysha Clark.

"It's taken a darker turn in terms of the types of comments and the vitriol that's coming through to the players, and it's not okay," Clark told ESPN. "I wish [Engelbert] would have just said that — 'It's not okay.'"

Liberty star Breanna Stewart echoed Clark's sentiments, saying "The way that the fans have surged, and especially behind Caitlin and Angel coming to this league, but also bringing a race aspect to a different level — you know, there's no place for that in our sport."

Engelbert later responded to the Players Union's statement in a post on X, writing "there is absolutely no place for hate or racism of any kind in the WNBA or anywhere else."