Naomi Osaka's comeback continues against qualifier Danielle Collins in Abu Dhabi first round

Naomi Osaka's next opponent in her comeback isn't just any qualifier. The four-time Grand Slam champion will face 2022 Australian Open finalist Danielle Collins in the first round of the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open.

Former world No. 1 Osaka is contesting the third tournament after a year-long maternity leave this week in the Middle East, where she received a wild card. Osaka went 1-2 in Australia, losing to former No. 1 Karolina Pliskova and another former Top 10 player, Caroline Garcia, in the first round of the Australian Open. Collins, meanwhile, won two straight-sets matches in qualifying this weekend to earn her spot in the main draw, and was randomly drawn against Osaka after qualfying concluded on Sunday.

After losing to Garcia, Osaka re-affirmed her ambitions to play a full schedule this season following the July birth of her first child, daughter Shai. She accepted a wild card into Abu Dhabi a week later, and she'll also play doubles with Ons Jabeur at the tournament.

"I felt like when I was in L.A. training, I was really worried that I wasn't going to be able to keep up with any of the girls that I played in my matches," Osaka said in Melbourne. "Coming here and I guess playing three tough matches, I feel positive that I'm able to play, I'm at least able to challenge them.

The competitive in me is really frustrated that I'm not winning these matches, of course. So I wouldn't say, like, this comeback is how I thought because I'm delusional enough to think I could have won the tournament. ... I think I just have to keep living day by day and training hard and playing a lot more matches, and hopefully my dreams will come true."

Collins, too, had a news-making trip Down Under. The 30-year-old American lost in the second round in Melbourne to world No. 1 Iga Swiatek despite having a 4-1 lead in the third set. Afterwards, Collins told reporters that 2024 will be her last season on tour.

"I feel like I've had a pretty good career," the former world No. 7, now ranked No. 69, said. "There has certainly been ups and downs to it, and I think the travel and some of the things away from the court with scheduling and all of that, this is a really tough sport.

"I have other things that I'd kind of like to accomplish in my life outside of tennis, and would like to be able to kind of be able to have the time to be able to do that."

But it won't get any easier for Osaka should she beat Collins. The winner will face No. 1 seed Elena Rybakina in the second round.