Naomi Osaka has shared some very disappointing news as the Japanese tennis star won’t be able to participate in her hometown tournament in Osaka after sustaining a back injury last week.
After losing early at the US Open, the former world No. 1 kicked off her Asian swing in Beijing with a fresh wave of energy after hiring Serena Williams’ ex-coach Patrick Mouratoglou. The result was instant, with the 26-year-old winning three matches in a row for the first time since May.
But then, her very strong and promising run came to an end in a crushing way after a back issue forced her to retire mid-match against Coco Gauff in the round-of-16.
After skipping this week’s WTA 1000 tournament in Wuhan, the Japanese is also out of the WTA 250 tournament in Osaka, which is slated to take place between October 14-20.
“Due to injury, Naomi Osaka will not participate in the WTA 250 tournament in the city of Osaka from October 14-20,” the Japan Tennis Association announced.
The Japanese enjoyed success in Osaka in the past
In 2019, the four-time Grand Slam champion got a chance to play in her hometown and it was a memorable run since she won all of her four matches in straight sets to lift the title in front of her home fans.
Since then, she hasn’t…
