Naomi Osaka Withdraws From Melbourne Tournament
Naomi Osaka will not play in the Australian Open, January 17 in Melbourne, due to an abdominal injury.
On Jan. 7, the 24-year-old tweeted, "Sad to withdraw due to injury from my match today, my body got a shock from playing back to back intense matches after the break I took. Thank you for all the love this past week. I'll try to rest up and I'll see you soon!"
The former No. 1 player in the world said in a statement issued by Tennis Australia, “I had a lot of fun playing here in Melbourne. Unfortunately I have an abdominal injury which I need to rest and prepare for the Australian Open.”
Osaka’s opponent, Veronika Kudermetova, will now advance to the final round on a walkover, CBS Sports reports.
In May of 2021, Osaka withdrew from the French Open and cited bouts of anxiety. In June, she also withdrew from Wimbledon before competing at the Tokyo Summer Olympics, where she made it to the third round.
