For the legions of Naomi Osaka fans worldwide, it was a heart-wrenching and unfortunate scene that played out for the second time in the past month. Osaka was visibly struggling during her Australian Open third-round match against Belinda Bencic.
Bencic won a tight first set that was settled by tiebreaker. During the set, Osaka requested the trainer. While examining and providing medication to her, it was obvious that she was already wearing abdominal banding. Up to this point, Osaka had a terrific Australian Open defeating opponents that she could not beat in the 2024 Grand Slams, Caroline Garcia and Karolina Muchova.
Osaka retired from the ASB Classic final with the lead with an abdominal strain. She did not elaborate on the extent of her injury. When asked about the ensuing MRI, she said it was not great but not bad.
Belinda Bencic signs the camera after Naomi Osaka retired from their match at the Australian Open:
“Get well soon mama” ❤️ pic.twitter.com/ugD0WZ3jWC
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) January 17, 2025
Since retiring to Bencic who hugged Osaka and wrote a heartfelt message on the camera that said “Get well soon Mama” acknowledging their common bond as new mothers on the WTA Tour, Osaka provided more context about the injury.
Naomi Osaka Discusses Her Injury
She described it as a recurring issue dating back to her teen years. A 2024 recurrence while playing Coco Gauff at the China Open has persisted. Following that match, an MRI revealed an abdominal strain plus a bulged disc in her back.
@espnw #NaomiOsaka withdrew from the third round of the AusOpen. This is the first time she has retired during a major match due to injury. #australianopen #tennis
Where Osaka goes from here is unknown. She has high expectations for 2025 and vows to leave the game if she does not get them.
Belinda Bencic advances to the fourth round. She is the newest tennis mom to rejoin the WTA Tour and already had a huge win over Jelena Ostapenko in the first round. Her comeback will be firmly tested in the fourth round against the red-hot Coco Gauff who has not dropped a match or set so far in 2025.
