Melbourne, Jan 17: Naomi Osaka, a two-time Australian Open champion, had to retire from her third-round match against Belinda Bencic due to a strained abdominal muscle after losing the first set on Friday.
“I have a bit of a history with this injury since I was a teenager—at least once a year, I would experience an abdominal strain. I believe it has to do with the explosiveness of my serve,” Osaka shared. She added that she first sustained the injury at a tournament in Beijing when she had to retire during a match against Coco Gauff on October 1. “Unfortunately, it has continued to affect me as the new season began.”
This marked Osaka’s first progression to the third round of a major tournament since 2022. She had previously taken breaks from the sport for mental health reasons and was off the tour while pregnant. Her daughter, Shai, was born in July 2023.
Osaka kicked off 2025 by reaching the final of a tournament in Auckland, New Zealand, on January 5, but had to withdraw from the title match because of her abdominal injury.
She noted that the condition worsened significantly after her second-round victory over 2023 French Open finalist Karolina Muchova in Melbourne on Wednesday.
“It was somewhat inevitable, but the competitor in me wanted to push through to the end,” Osaka said. “I really hope to find a solution to regain my health before the tour moves on to Indian Wells and Miami in March.”
During a changeover while she was leading 6-5, a trainer came to examine Osaka’s abdominal area and provided her with medication, after which play resumed.
Prior to the tiebreaker, Osaka spoke briefly with her coach Patrick Mouratoglou sitting courtside.
After Bencic secured the first set in a tiebreaker with a score of 7-6 (3), winning four of the last five points due to unforced errors from Osaka, the chair umpire called an end to the match after just 57 minutes “due to injury.”
Following the match, the two players exchanged hugs at the sidelines, and Osaka made her exit from the court. She has previously won the Australian Open in 2019 and 2021, along with the U.S. Open in 2018 and 2020.
“I hope she recovers quickly and can continue playing this season,” said Bencic, the 2021 Tokyo Olympics singles gold medalist.
Bencic, who is also a mother, took a moment to draw a heart on a courtside camera lens and wrote, “Get well soon, Mama.”
Next, Bencic will face either 2023 U.S. Open champion Coco Gauff or 2021 U.S. Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez in the fourth round, with their match scheduled for later that evening.
“I’ll try to catch a bit of it if possible,” Bencic said, “but I also need to focus on my cooldown and recovery.”
Since returning to the tour last October after the birth of her first child, Bencic has not advanced past the fourth round in her 11 previous appearances at the Australian Open. Last year, she lost at that stage to two-time champion Aryna Sabalenka. (AP)
