Tennis
Naomi Osaka Withdraws from Melbourne Tournament Ahead of Australian Open
by privatebet.com - 2022/01/08
Naomi Osaka will be competing at this year’s Australian Open as the defending champion, but her chances aren’t looking so great after her latest loss. She withdrew from a warm-up tournament in Melbourne, citing an abdominal injury as the reason for her exit. Osaka reached the semifinal in Melbourne but decided to walk away and allow her opponent Veronika Kudermetova to advance to the final. She later told Tennis Australia that she had fun playing in Melbourne, but decided to pull out of the tournament due to an abdominal injury. She further explained her decision on social media, adding she needs to rest and prepare for the Australian Open. “Sad to withdraw due to injury from my match today, my body got a shock from playing back to back intense matches after the break I took. I’ll try to rest up and I’ll see you soon!" Osaka wrote on Twitter. The warm-up tournament in Melbourne marks Osaka’s return to tennis after she decided to take a brief hiatus following her loss at the 2021 US Open. After failing to defend her title, Osaka announced she’ll take a break “for a while” because winning doesn’t make her happy anymore. The 2022 Australian Open is set to kick off on January 17th, and Osaka will try to defend the title against the likes of Ashleigh Barty and Aryna Sabalenka.