Naomi Osaka’s season seems to be over as she announced she will not participate in next month’s Billie Jean King Cup finals due to injury. The four-time Grand Slam singles champion revealed in Tokyo on Sunday that she had ruptured abdominal muscles.
“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,” the 27-year-old told Japan’s Kyodo News agency.
Osaka has been out of action since retiring from her last-16 match at the China Open against eventual champion Coco Gauff at the beginning of the month. She also withdrew from the Japan Open in Osaka and this week’s Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo. The Billie Jean King Cup finals would have marked her final event on the 2024 schedule.
“I’ve played so many tournaments this year, so it was definitely the toughest decision to not play this and obviously not play BJK,” she said. “I really honestly enjoyed it so much, and I think it helped with my development as a player.”
The Billie Jean King Cup finals are scheduled to take place in Malaga, Spain, from November 13-20. Osaka played a key role in helping Japan beat Kazakhstan in April to qualify for the finals, marking her first Billie Jean King Cup appearance since 2020.
Her participation at the China Open was her first tournament under Patrick Mouratoglou, the Frenchman best known for being the long-time coach of Serena Williams. Since returning to tennis in January after giving birth to her daughter Shai in July 2023, Osaka has struggled with consistency, achieving her best results with two quarter-final appearances.
