Naomi Osaka withdrew from the Australian Open on Saturday, just over a week before the tournament begins.
Osaka, 25, did not issue a statement saying why. He had a series of withdrawals due to injury last year. He withdrew from Wimbledon in June due to an Achilles injury and missed the Toray Pan Pacific Open in September, citing illness.
She was set to play a second round match against Beatriz Haddad Maia in the September tournament when she told reporters about the news. according to the World Tennis Association.
«It’s an honor to be able to play at the Toray Pan Pacific Open in front of the amazing fans here in Japan,» Osaka said. «This has been and always will be a special tournament for me, and I wish I could have stepped on the court today, but my body won’t let me. Thank you for all your support this week, and I’ll see you next year.»
Previously ranked No. 1 by the WTA, Osaka won the Australian and US Opens twice between 2018 and 2021. She made headlines in May 2021 when she announced she would not compete at the French Open, citing anxiety over the conferences of post-game press.
“I would never trivialize mental health or use the term lightly,” Osaka said at the time. “The truth is that I have suffered long bouts of depression since the US Open in 2018, and I have had a hard time coping with that.”
in a essay for time magazine, Osaka said he has a good relationship with the media, but considers the format of the press conference to be outdated. She said she prefers more «peer-to-peer» interactions with reporters.
«I announced that I wanted to skip the press conferences at Roland Garros to exercise self-care and the preservation of my mental health,» he wrote. «I agree with that. Athletes are human.» (The Roland Garros stadium is the site of the French Open.)
Osaka returned to the court later that summer for the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics to play for Japan. She was knocked out in the third round by Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic, 6-1, 6-4.
Despite the tumultuous year, Osaka ended the 2021 season remaining ranked No. 12 in the world. But after an injury-plagued season, she slipped to 42nd in the WTA rankings last year.
