Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka aims to compete at January’s Australian Open and play “way more tournaments” than she used to when she returns after giving birth.

The 25-year-old has not played on the WTA Tour since September 2022.

“I don’t know the level of play and I think I kind of have to ease into it,” she told ESPN at the US Open.

When asked if she had set a schedule for 2024, she replied: “It’s definitely way more tournaments than I used to play.

“I think some people will be happy with that. I think it’s because I don’t realise how the beginning of the year is going to go for me.

“At the very least I’m going to set myself up for a very good end of the year.”

Osaka said she had “definitely” missed competing and is keen to return.

“I’ve been watching matches and I’m like, I wish I was playing too,” she said.

“But I’m in this position now and I’m very grateful. I really love my daughter a lot, but it has really fuelled a fire in me.”

Osaka, who won the US Open in 2018 and 2020, and the Australian Open in 2019 and 2021, was at Flushing Meadows on Wednesday to speak on a panel about mental health.

She has previously taken breaks from tennis to prioritise her mental health and spoken openly about the issues she has faced.