MELBOURNE: Twice Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from the Grand Slam ahead of her scheduled third-round match on Saturday due to an abdominal injury, handing Australia’s Maddison Inglis a walkover into the fourth round.
The Japanese 16th seed, who won the Melbourne Park title in 2019 and 2021, said on social media that her body needed attention after her previous match against Sorana Cirstea. Osaka later told the tournament she had been carrying the injury and had hoped to play through the pain.
“I thought maybe if I gave myself a break before my match today, I would be able to handle it, but I warmed up and it got a lot worse,” Osaka said. “I definitely have to do more tests, and obviously I think coming back from pregnancy, my body changed quite a lot. So this is something I have to be really cautious of.”
The withdrawal is a setback for Osaka, who has been working her way back to top form and reached the U.S. Open semi-finals last year. In Melbourne, she had already made headlines before her opening match by arriving at Rod Laver Arena in a striking jellyfish-inspired outfit, one of the boldest fashion statements at the tournament.
“Obviously it was nice that everyone enjoyed my outfit, but also, I enjoyed playing the tennis here,” Osaka said, after contesting two three-set matches before her exit.
