World Slam champion, Naomi Osaka has pullet out of next week’s Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo on Friday because of a back injury.
Osaka has been sidelined since she retired from her last-16 match at the China Open against eventual champion Coco Gauff at the start of the month.
She then pulled out of this week’s Japan Open in Osaka.
Osaka’s appearance at the China Open was her first tournament under Patrick Mouratoglou, the Frenchman best known for being Serena Williams’s long-time former coach.
She has struggled for consistency since returning to tennis in January after the birth of her daughter Shai in July 2023. Her best results since becoming a parent have been two quarter-final appearances.
China’s Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen — ranked number seven in the world — is the top-ranked player at the Pan Pacific Open.
Russia’s Daria Kasatkina and Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia are also set to compete.
AFP
