Naomi Osaka may be dealing with a signifcant injury, with the 2025 Australian Open nearly a week away.
The former world No. 1 and four-time Grand Slam champion retired from the final of the WTA Auckland Open, the last tune-up before the Australian Open, with an apparent medical issue on Sunday. She had been leading Denmark’s Clara Tauson 6-4, but her exit left Tauson as the tournament’s champion.
Before her withdrawal, Osaka was receiving attention from trainers for her abdomen, which was apparently the issue. Per veteran tennis journalist and Osaka biographer Ben Rothenberg, she was teary-eyed when calling for a trainer.
