Naomi Osaka, a two-time champion from Japan, was forced to retire from the Australian Open due to an injury sustained during her match against Belinda Bencic of Switzerland in the third round.
Osaka was competing in her first Grand Slam after returning from maternity leave last year. She rejoined the WTA Tour six months after giving birth to her daughter Shai in July 2023.
After dominating the play with a 4-1 lead in the opening set, the athlete struggled with an abdominal issue and called for help at 6-5.
As her opponent ruled the tie-break, Osaka’s suffering persisted and she decided to end the day before the second set began.
Bencic said: “I really feel for Naomi. I saw her struggling a bit in the end of the set. It’s not the way you want the match to end.”
In a social media post, Osaka said: “Walking on the court today I saw a girl with a bouquet of sunflowers. It was then that I was again reminded that I will never be able to repay the love that is constantly shown. Thank you for inspiring me, thank you for believing in me 🌻❤️”
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Osaka’s current athletic performance
At the Australian Open last year, she lost in her opening round as she made her comeback. She also fell in the second round at Wimbledon, Roland Garros, and Flushing Meadows.
However, Osaka made an impressive impression at Melbourne Park this year, defeating 20th seed Karolina Muchova in less than two hours. She also won against Caroline Garcia of France in three sets in the opening round.
She exited from the Auckland Classic, her first WTA Final in three years, also due to an abdominal injury.
Source: BBC