What was supposed to be an exciting stretch through the Asian swing of the WTA tour has resulted in disappointment for Naomi Osaka. The Japanese tennis icon pulled out of the 2024 Pan Pacific Open early Friday morning.
A lower-back injury forced the four-time Grand Slam to retire during her match with Coco Gauff in the China Open on October 1. Osaka suffered the injury during warmups and looked good through two sets but could not make it to a third set against Gauff. The moment led to a heartwarming video of Gauff helping Osaka off the court.
Afterward, Osaka told her fans on social media, “It was worse than what I thought (I just have a high pain tolerance, lol), and I’m trying my best to potentially play Tokyo, but I’m still waiting to see what the doctor says.”
Earlier this week, the tennis world celebrated Osaka’s 27th birthday with tributes coming from fans, players, and tournaments. However, the birthday festivities are officially cut short with today’s announcement.
Osaka is currently ranked World No. 58 and has a record of 22-17 with zero titles this season. While it was far from the season Osaka expected of herself, it was a strong campaign after missing two years due to injury and maternity leave.
In late September, Osaka fired her coach, Wim Fissette. The two worked together for four years and won two Grand Slam titles. She quickly hired Serena Williams’ former coach, Patrick Mourtatoglu. It is clear that Osaka wants to return to her dominant ways.
The 2024 Pan Pacific Open takes place from October 21-27 in Tokyo, Japan. It will lack star power as many of the women’s best players are preparing for the WTA Finals in the first week of November.
Tennis fans can follow Sports Illustrated’s Serve on SI for all the most important news from the sport.
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