Naomi Osaka pulls out of the Australian Open due to an abdominal injury.

Naomi Osaka Withdraws from Australian Open

Tennis player Naomi Osaka has decided to withdraw from the Australian Open before reaching the third round, due to a left abdominal injury, cutting short her quest for a third Grand Slam title.

The two-time champion of the Australian Open, having won in 2019 and 2021, shared her decision on social media but didn’t immediately elaborate on the specifics of her injury.

In her Instagram statement, Osaka mentioned, “After my last match, I had to make the difficult decision to withdraw to attend to a medical issue that required attention. It breaks my heart to have to stop because I was so excited to keep going. This run meant the most to me, but I can’t risk more damage to get back on the court.”

Later on, the tournament confirmed that Osaka was experiencing pain on the left side of her abdomen. The 28-year-old noted, “It was an injury I’d had several times before, so I thought I could overcome it. I played with some pain in the last game, really thought resting would help. But when I warmed up, it got worse.”

Osaka remarked that her body has changed significantly since giving birth to her daughter, Shai, in 2023. Her absence from the game lasted about 15 months before she made her return in 2024.

“I’m grateful that I’m otherwise very healthy and I hope to be able to play some good tennis for the rest of the year,” she added.

Even though her time at this year’s Australian Open was cut short, it was marked by her fashion choices and a somewhat tense interaction with her second-round opponent, Sorana Cirstea. Cirstea seemed to take issue with Osaka’s attempts to psych herself up between points, while Osaka made light of the situation after their match, which she won 6-3, 4-6, 6-2.

Osaka responded during an on-court interview, “Apparently she was angry at a lot of ‘come on,’ but whatever. I mean, I tried to play well and I tried my best. She’s a great player. I think this was her last Australian Open. So, well, it’s unfortunate that she was upset about that.” Later, she offered an apology, stating, “I don’t like to disrespect people. That’s not my job.”