Injured Osaka Withdraws from Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo

Injured Osaka Withdraws from Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo

Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from the upcoming Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo due to a back injury. The former world number one has not competed since retiring from her last-16 match at the China Open earlier this month against the eventual champion, Coco Gauff. Osaka also opted out of this week’s Japan Open in Osaka.

The 27-year-old was expected to participate in the Pan Pacific Open as a wild card, but organizers confirmed her absence was due to a lower back injury.

Osaka’s recent appearance at the China Open marked her first tournament under the coaching of Patrick Mouratoglou, the renowned former coach of Serena Williams. Since returning to tennis in January following the birth of her daughter Shai in July 2023, Osaka has struggled with consistency, achieving only two quarter-final finishes.

At the Pan Pacific Open, China’s Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen, currently ranked seventh in the world, is the highest-seeded player, joined by Russia’s Daria Kasatkina and Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia.