Naomi Osaka’s season appears to be ended after she announced that she will not play 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 suffered damaged 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,” Japan’s Kyodo News agency reported the 27-year-old as saying.
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 pulled out of the Japan Open in Osaka and this week’s Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo. The Billie Jean King Cup finals would have been the final event on her 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 will take place in Malaga, Spain, from November 13 to 20.
Osaka helped Japan defeat Kazakhstan in April, qualifying for the finals in her first Billie Jean King Cup appearance since 2020.
Her presence in the China Open marked her first tournament under Patrick Mouratoglou, the Frenchman best known as Serena Williams’ long-time coach.
She has battled with consistency since returning to tennis in January, following the birth of her daughter Shai in July 2023.
Her finest results as a parent have been two quarter-final appearances.