Naomi Osaka withdraws from Australian Open after sequence of well being setbacks

Naomi Osaka withdrew from the Australian Open on Saturday, simply over every week earlier than the event begins.

Osaka, 25, didn’t difficulty an announcement saying why. She had a rash of withdrawals on account of harm final yr. She withdrew from Wimbledon in June due to an harm to her Achilles’ heel and forfeited the Toray Pan Pacific Open in September, citing sickness.

She had been set to play a second-round match in opposition to Beatriz Haddad Maia on the September event when she spoke in regards to the information to reporters, in keeping with the World Tennis Affiliation.

“It’s an honor to have the ability to play on the Toray Pan Pacific Open in entrance of the superb followers right here in Japan,” Osaka stated. “This has and all the time will probably be a particular event for me, and I want I may have stepped on court docket in the present day, however my physique received’t let me. Thanks for all of your help this week, and I’ll see you subsequent yr.”

Previously ranked No. 1 by the WTA, Osaka received each the Australian and U.S. opens twice from 2018 to 2021. She made headlines in Could 2021 when she introduced she wouldn’t compete on the French Open, citing nervousness over post-match information conferences.

“I might by no means trivialize psychological well being or use the time period evenly,” Osaka stated on the time. “The reality is that I’ve suffered lengthy bouts of despair for the reason that U.S. Open in 2018, and I’ve had a extremely laborious time dealing with that.”

In an essay for Time journal, Osaka stated she has a superb relationship with the media however finds the information convention format outdated. She stated she prefers extra “peer to look” interactions with reporters.

“I communicated that I needed to skip press conferences at Roland Garros to train self-care and preservation of my psychological well being,” she wrote. “I stand by that. Athletes are people.” (Roland Garros stadium is the location of the French Open.)

Osaka returned to the court docket later that summer time for the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics to play for Japan. She was knocked out within the third spherical by Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic, 6-1, 6-4.

Regardless of the tumultuous yr, Osaka completed the 2021 season remaining ranked No. 12 on this planet. However after an injury-ridden season, she fell to No. 42 within the WTA rankings final yr.