Naomi Osaka announces early end to season due to serious injury setback

The four-time Grand Slam champion has not competed on the WTA Tour since the China Open, where she had to retire from her fourth-round match against Coco Gauff.

After splitting the first two sets, Osaka withdrew before the final set due to a back injury. She later lightheartedly shared on social media that she had sustained the issue during training.

"I locked my back up during practice earlier and honestly wasn't sure if I could even play but I just wanted to try, unfortunately things just got progressively worse during the match," she wrote.

"Totally worth it though lol."

She was then compelled to withdraw from the WTA 1000 Wuhan Open qualifiers, as well as the main draws of the Japan Open and this week's Pan Pacific Open.

Osaka's next scheduled event was the Hong Kong Open, and she was also set to represent Japan in the upcoming Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Malaga this November.

Unfortunately, the injury turned out to be more serious than initially believed, prompting her to end her season early.

"I thought I strained my back, but I did an MRI in Beijing," Osaka added. "They said I bulged a disc in my back and I also ruptured abdominal muscles.

"I was practising in Los Angeles in order to play here. I took another MRI and it said I still have tears.

"I've played so many tournaments this year, so it was the toughest decision to not play this and not play BJK."

After taking maternity leave and missing the 2023 season, Osaka began this year unranked. She initially faced challenges in the first few months but eventually found her form, gradually climbing up the rankings.

Her standout performances included reaching the quarter-finals in Doha and 's-Hertogenbosch, along with six top-20 victories, concluding the 2024 season with a 22-17 record.

Osaka, who hired Patrick Mouratoglou as her coach in September following a surprising split from Wim Fissette, will finish the year ranked inside the top 100 of the WTA Rankings, currently sitting at No. 56.

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