International Courant
4-time Grand Slam champion withdraws from her first WTA ultimate in three years after profitable the primary set of the Auckland Open.
Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from the ultimate of the Auckland Traditional with an stomach damage, a blow to the Japanese star only a week earlier than the beginning of the Australian Open.
The four-time Grand Slam champion, taking part in in her first WTA ultimate in three years, in opposition to Denmark’s Clara Tauson, referred to as for physio after profitable the opening set 6-4 and withdrew shortly afterwards on Sunday.
Osaka’s sudden withdrawal from the Australian Open warm-up occasion got here as a shock after she performed with out obvious bother within the 35-minute opening set, unleashing a lot of highly effective primary blows to interrupt her opponent within the third and fifth video games.
In the course of the changeover, the 27-year-old stood up and carried out a sequence of stretches throughout a medical timeout.
After consulting with the coach, she shook fingers with Tauson, who took a 3rd profession title and her first since 2021.
Osaka didn’t reveal particulars about why she withdrew in a short interview on the court docket.
Nevertheless, in an announcement, the WTA mentioned she was retiring “on account of an stomach damage.”
“I want to thank everybody for welcoming me to such a lovely metropolis. I had lots of enjoyable taking part in right here and I am actually sorry about the way it turned out,” Osaka mentioned.
“I hope you loved the tennis we performed and I am very grateful to be right here.”
It was an anti-climax of the week for Osaka, who was chasing her first title in 4 years since profitable the 2021 Australian Open.
Her most up-to-date ultimate look was on the Miami Open the next 12 months, earlier than taking a fifteen-month break and giving delivery to her first baby in mid-2023.
She returned to tennis 12 months in the past and has risen to 57th on the earth rankings.
Osaka arrived in Auckland claiming her “deep love” for tennis was returning and expressed confidence about the potential for a robust marketing campaign on the first Grand Slam of the 12 months, which begins in Melbourne on January 12.
Naomi Osaka sustains stomach damage within the run-up to Australian Open | Tennis information
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