Naomi Osaka withdraws from Japan Open due to back injury

The Japan Tennis Association confirmed in a statement, "Due to injury, Naomi Osaka will not participate" in the WTA 250 tournament scheduled to take place in Osaka from October 14th to 20th.

Osaka had shown promising form last week, achieving three victories at the China Open. However, during her round of 16 match against the eventual champion, Coco Gauff, she was forced to retire at the conclusion of the second set due to a back injury.

READ ALSO: Coco Gauff wins China Open Title in Straight-Sets

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

Osaka's last appearance in a WTA tournament in her home country was a brief one, occurring two years ago at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo. She won her first-round match after her opponent, Daria Saville, retired after just one game. Subsequently, Osaka withdrew from her second-round match due to abdominal pain.

This tournament marked her final competition before taking a break to give birth to her daughter, Shai, in July 2023. Osaka made her return to the tour in January of this year but has faced challenges in regaining the form that led her to win two Australian Opens and two US Opens between 2018 and 2021.