Naomi Osaka’s 2024 season is over after the Japanese tennis star shared that she is dealing with multiple injuries and withdrew from the Billie Jean King Cup Finals.
In early October, the four-time Grand Slam champion picked up a back injury in Beijing which forced her to miss the tournaments in Wuhan, Osaka and Tokyo. Also, she is now set to miss next week’s Hong Kong Open.
While it was extremely disappointing for the former world No. 1 to miss two home tournaments, the hope was that she would be ready to play in Hong Kong. But at the start of this week, the 27-year-old shared that she did not only contract a back injury in Beijing but also ruptured her abdominal muscles.
With that being said, Osaka decided to put a curtain on the season and that includes not representing her country at the BJK Cup Finals between November 13-20.When Asian swing started, she noted that she was extremely happy to be back home and that she was hoping to make great results.
“I thought I strained my back, but I did an MRI in Beijing and they said that I bulged a disc in my back and I also ruptured abdominal muscles. I’ve played so many tournaments this year, so it was definitely the toughest decision to not play this and obviously not play BJK. I really honestly enjoyed it so much, and I think it helped with my development as a player,” the Japanese said, via Japan’s Kyodo News Agency.
In April, Osaka returned to the BJK Cup for the first time since 2020 and helped her nation beat Kazakhstan in the qualifiers.
Naomi Osaka© Naomi Osaka/Instagram – Fair Use
Unfortunately, she now won’t be able to play for Japan in the Finals tournament.
Osaka actually played a match injured in Beijing
After struggling for months with her game and constantly losing very early, the former world No. 1 found some rhythm and form instantly at the start of the Asian swing, winning her opening three matches at the China Open to set up a blockbuster round-of-16 meeting against Coco Gauff.
Against the American, Osaka made a fine start and went up by a set and a break. But then late in the second set, her game shut down completely – Gauff won the second set – and the Japanese retired moments later.
The sudden retirement left everybody stunned, including her rival. Later, the 27-year-old revealed that her back got locked up during a pre-match practice but she still decided to play.
“Hi everyone just wanted to say I’m extremely thankful and happy to have played in Beijing. That being said I feel like I owe a little backstory about today- So I locked my back up during practice earlier and honestly wasn’t sure if I could even play but I just wanted to try, unfortunately things just got progressively worse during the match. Totally worth it though lol,” Osaka wrote on Threads after the match.
Not everything is dark; Osaka made a positive start with coach Patrick Mouratoglou
After splitting with Wim Fissette, the four-time Major winner hired Serena Williams’ ex-coach Mouratoglou. And in their first tournament together, the Japanese instantly showed some positive signs and improvement compared to previous tournaments.
“It’s been our first tournament together with @naomiosaka and it was so rich in terms of learning. From the practice sessions to the warm ups on match days, to all the preparations and the match briefing and debriefings, I got so much to learn about her. I also got to spend time with the amazing team around her @florian.zitz @simone._.elliott @matizukas. I am really proud of all her efforts, her focus and willingness to learn and progress. It’s the best attitude to be in a growth process. Now is time to heal and get ready for new challenges,” Mouratoglou wrote on Instagram following the 27-year-old’s Beijing round-of-16 showing.
Naomi Osaka and Patrick Mouratoglou© Patrick Mouratoglou/Instagram – Fair Use
In 2025, Osaka will be looking to rediscover her Grand Slam-winning form and potentially attack the world No. 1 spot. And she hopes Mouratoglou will be the one who will help her reach those goals.
“I like the way he coaches. I think it’s going to be really interesting. I think I’m at a stage in my life that I don’t want to have regrets. I’d rather pull the trigger on something and I don’t want to say ‘fail’, but I feel like I really need to learn as much as possible in this stage of my career. Patrick seemed like the guy with I guess the information that I wanted to learn from. I try not to get into relationships with people for short-term. I try to think of it as a long-term commitment. I like the way he coaches. I think it’s going to be really interesting,” she explained earlier this month.
Now, Osaka will likely take some time to rest before kicking off her preparation for the 2025 season.
