Naomi Osaka Withdraws From Tennis Tourney Due To Abdominal Injury

Naomi Osaka Withdraws From Tourney Semis Due To Ab Injury ... 'My Body Got A Shock'

1/8/2022 3:28 PM PT

Naomi Osaka announced she's pulling retired of the semi-finals of an Australian Open warm-up tourney aft she says her assemblage went into "shock" from playing hard tennis ... aft she took months disconnected to absorption connected herself.

Now, the Australian Open -- already perchance without superstar Novak Djokovic -- could besides beryllium without 1 of women's tennis' biggest stars, Osaka.

Naomi, intelligibly bummed, announced she was withdrawing from the Melbourne Summer Set implicit an ab injury.

“I had a batch of amusive playing present successful Melbourne,” Osaka said successful an authoritative statement. “Unfortunately I person an abdominal wounded which I request to remainder and hole for the Australian Open.”

Osaka expanded connected the wounded connected societal media, tweeting her assemblage "got a daze from playing backmost to backmost aggravated matches aft the interruption she took" ... forcing the erstwhile No.1 ranked women's tennis subordinate to propulsion retired astatine the past minute.

As we antecedently reported, Naomi returned to the tennis court successful November ... aft stepping distant from the crippled to absorption connected herself pursuing an affectional nonaccomplishment astatine the U.S. Open successful September.

Osaka -- a four-time Grand Slam singles champion -- has been outspoken astir her struggles with intelligence health successful the past, infamously boycotting the media astatine the French Open.

And now, 24-year-old Osaka -- who was scheduled to play Veronika Kudermetova of Russia -- is sidelined erstwhile again ... arsenic she tries to rehab her mode backmost to competition.

Thankfully for tennis fans, barring thing unforeseen, Osaka is expected to play successful the Australian Open Tournament ... which begins January 17.