Japan’s, Naomi Osaka is now a major doubt for the Australian Open, the first grand slam of the year in tennis after withdrawing during the final of the Auckland Classic, against Clara Tauson of Denmark.
Osaka retired from the final with an abdominal injury, and it could be a blow to the Japanese star just a week before the start of the Australian Open.
Osaka’s withdrawal from the Australian Open warm-up event came as a shock after playing with no apparent problem in the 35-minute first set, unleashing powerful groundstrokes to break her opponent in the third and fifth games.
Playing in her first WTA final for three years, against Denmark’s Clara Tauson, the four-time Grand Slam champion called for the physiotherapist after taking the opening set 6-4; and she pulled out shortly afterwards.
At the changeover, the 27-year-old stood and performed a series of stretches during a medical timeout but after consulting with the trainer, she shook the hand of Tauson, who picked up a third career title and her first since 2021.
However, Osaka did not divulge details of what forced her withdrawal in a short courtside interview, neither did her team give the prognosis of the said abdominal muscle injury.
Naomi Osaka retires from Australian Open warm-up with Abdominal Injury
