naomi osaka’s season ends in heartbreak

Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka has pulled out of the upcoming Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, citing a lower back injury. This marks the second consecutive tournament withdrawal for the Japanese tennis star, following her exit from the Japan Open in Osaka.

Osaka’s injury woes began earlier this month when she retired from her China Open match against Coco Gauff. Her participation in the China Open marked her first tournament under new coach Patrick Mouratoglou, renowned for his successful partnership with Serena Williams.

Since returning to tennis in January after giving birth to her daughter Shai, Osaka has struggled to regain her form, achieving only two quarter-final appearances. The 27-year-old former world number one was set to compete at the Pan Pacific Open as a wild card entry.

The tournament will now feature China’s Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen, ranked seventh in the world, as its top seed. Other notable competitors include Russia’s Daria Kasatkina and Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia.

Four-time tennis Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka will not participate in the Billie Jean King Cup (BJKC) 2024 Finals in Spain.

The former world number one will miss the final stage of the tournament, to be played in Malaga from 13-20 November, citing back and abdominal injuries suffered earlier in October.

Osaka, currently ranked 59th in the world, was injured during her China Open round-of-16 match against Coco Gauff on 1 October, which eventually forced her to retire from the contest.

On Friday (18 October) it was announced that Osaka had withdrawn from the Pan Pacific Open 2024 in Tokyo due to that same injury, and on Sunday evening (20 October) she revealed she would also not be able to represent Japan at the BJKC in Malaga due to lower back and abdominal problems.

“I’ve played so many tournaments this year, so it was definitely the toughest decision to not play this and obviously not play BJK,” Osaka told reporters in Tokyo. “I really honestly enjoyed it so much, and I think it helped with my development as a player.

“I thought I strained my back, but I did an MRI in Beijing, and they said that I bulged a disc in my back and I also raptured abdominal muscles,” Osaka said.

“I was practicing in Los Angeles in order to play here, but then I took another MRI and it said that I still have tears.”

Osaka’s withdrawal was confirmed by tournament organisers on Tuesday (29 October), who said via X, “Malaga will miss you, Naomi”.

The final torchbearer for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 in 2021 will now likely target the Australian Open in January 2025 for her return to top level competitive tennis.

 

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