AUCKLAND, New Zealand — The future of Naomi Osaka’s participation in the upcoming Australian Open is uncertain following an evident abdominal injury she sustained during the WTA tournament final in Auckland on Sunday. The four-time Grand Slam champion and former world No. 1 was competing against Denmark’s Clara Tauson and had taken the first set 6-4 before consulting with her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, the chair umpire, and a tour trainer, ultimately deciding to withdraw from the match.
While the exact details of her injury were not immediately available, it appeared to be abdominal rather than related to the back injury that led to the cancellation of her 2024 season at the China Open. Osaka, visibly upset, was seen in tears while awaiting the trainer before she left the court to a muted applause from the audience, returning later for the trophy presentation.
“I just want to thank everyone for welcoming me to such a beautiful city,” Osaka expressed. “I had a lot of fun playing here and I’m really sorry about how it ended, but I hope that you enjoyed the tennis that we did play. I’m just really grateful to be here.”
At one point in the match, Osaka was leading with a 5-1 score, having secured two breaks of serve, yet she started losing power in her serve, prompting her decision to withdraw after winning the first set. This match marked her return to competitive tennis in 2024, following a significant hiatus due to the birth of her daughter, Shai.
This Auckland final was particularly significant for Osaka; had she claimed victory, it would have marked her first title since the 2021 Australian Open. Until her abrupt exit, she had demonstrated considerable improvement over the week, gaining strength and articulating how her experiences with motherhood and time away from professional tennis had reframed her mindset and perspective on the sport.
“There are moments where it’s really difficult, where I do get down on myself,” Osaka mentioned earlier in the week. “But then I just kind of realized I was pregnant not so long ago, and I really wanted the opportunity to play again. Now I’m finally here and I’m putting up really good fights, and I hope that I can keep continuing this way.”
Entering the tournament as the seventh seed and ranked 57th, Osaka fought her way to the final by defeating Lina Glushko of Israel, Julia Grabher of Austria, and American players Hailey Baptiste and Alicia Parks, while losing merely one set throughout the competition.
“I want to take every match seriously and if someone does beat me, I want it to be the fight of their life,” she stated. “I want to build that reputation within the community of tennis. I just hope that I can grow to fight for everything.”
Reflecting on her previous challenges, Osaka noted, “Last year it was really difficult to get that mindset, and you could see that in a lot of my matches. The tennis was there throughout the year, but it was more of a mindset thing, and now I think I’m ready for the battles.”
Having taken a break after childbirth, she feels a newfound sense of perspective. “I feel like a veteran and also a newbie at the same time,” she said, recognizing that many new players have emerged during her absence. “I’m very curious about the type of players that these young athletes are. I feel a lot of responsibility, and I also recognize that at times I haven’t been the greatest role model. But I’m learning and trying my best every year.”
Nostalgically, Osaka expressed sadness over the departure of her inspirations in the sport, Serena and Venus Williams, and she hopes to have a long-lasting career similar to theirs while contributing positively to the sport’s foundation.
