by Naomi Osaka could face a significant injury, with the Australian Open from 2025 to almost a week.
The former Grand Grand Slam world champion N ° 1 and four times retired from the WTA Auckland Open final, the last development before the Australian Open, with an apparent medical problem on Sunday. She had directed Clara Tauson 6-4 from Denmark before her release left Tauson as a tournament champion.
Before it withdraws, Osaka received the attention of sports coaches for its abdomen, which was apparently the problem. According to the veteran journalist for tennis and biographer of Osaka Ben Rothenberg, she had a tearful eyes when he called a coach.
The problem is an approximate obstacle for Osaka, who had been playing in her first final since the Miami 2022 Open. She returned to tennis in 2024 after an interruption of one year after the birth of her first child, but reached a quarter -final in a single tournament and has not progressed with the second round of a Grand Slam.
Her 2024 ended after her retirement from China Open with a back injury when she was tied in sets with Coco Gauff.
It is not clear if this problem will affect the availability of Gauff for the Australian Open. The simple draw in Melbourne is scheduled for next Thursday, the first round to start three days later Sunday.
