Category: Naomi Osaka

Naomi Osaka Pregnant, Sitting out 2023 Tennis Season

Former World No. 1 Naomi Osaka is pregnant and taking the year off from tennis, vowing to return at the 2024 Australian Open. She announced Wednesday in a social media post that she billed as a “little life update” that she is skipping play in 2023, without specifically mentioning her pregnancy. However, she included a…


Osaka Pulls Out in Tokyo With Abdominal Pain

Naomi Osaka’s title defense at her home Pan Pacific Open ended on Thursday when the former world number one withdrew ahead of her second-round match against Beatriz Haddad Maia due to abdominal pain. “I am really sorry that I am not able to compete today,” said the four-time Grand Slam champion, who won the tournament…


4-Time Slam Champ Osaka Loses to American Collins at US Open

NEW YORK—Naomi Osaka walked off the court, headed toward the locker room and layed down, draping a towel over her face. Out-hit in Arthur Ashe Stadium by another big hitter, Danielle Collins, two-time U.S. Open champion Osaka was left to contemplate a second consecutive first-round loss at a Grand Slam tournament. Collins reached her first…


Coco Gauff Beats Former No. 1 Naomi Osaka in Straight Sets

SAN JOSE—Coco Gauff held off four-time major champion Naomi Osaka 6–4, 6–4 on Thursday night to advance to the quarterfinals at the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic. Gauff, the No. 6 seed, held all of her serves in the opening set and finished the 45-minute session with three aces. Osaka had the first double-fault of the…


Japan’s Osaka Makes Winning Return, Sets Up Gauff Showdown

Four-time major winner Naomi Osaka returned to action for the first time since May with a 6–4 3–6 6–1 win over Zheng Qinwen at the Silicon Valley Classic on Tuesday, setting up a mouth-watering clash against teenage American Coco Gauff. Japan’s Osaka suffered a left Achilles injury in the lead-up to the French Open, where…


Naomi Osaka Won’t Play at Wimbledon, Citing Achilles Tendon

Naomi Osaka pulled out of Wimbledon on Saturday, citing a lingering problem with her left Achilles tendon and marking the second consecutive year she’s decided to sit out the grass-court Grand Slam tournament. The four-time major champion and former No. 1-ranked player posted a photo of herself on a grass court and wrote on Twitter:…


Osaka Loses in 1st Round of French Open, May Skip Wimbledon

PARIS—A year ago, Naomi Osaka left the French Open of her own volition, never beaten on the court but determining that she needed to pull out before the second round to stand up for herself and protect her mind. On Monday, Osaka departed Roland Garros against her will—via a 7–5, 6–4 loss in the first…


Iga Swiatek Cruises Past Naomi Osaka for Miami Open Title

Iga Swiatek of Poland defeated Japan’s Naomi Osaka 6–4, 6–0 on Saturday to win the Miami Open. The No. 2 seed—and soon to be World No. 1—won her 17th consecutive match and third straight title. Swiatek converted four of her 10 break chances and never faced a break point in the one-hour, 17-minute match. Only…


Anisimova Upsets Defending Champion Osaka at Australian Open

MELBOURNE, Australia—Within an hour of her third-round loss at the Australian Open, defending champion Naomi Osaka had consigned it to the past. It’s part of her new resolution for 2022. No dwelling on what’s already happened. Osaka had two match points against 60th-ranked Amanda Anisimova in the third set Friday, and she missed two backhands….


Ash Barty Marks First Nations Day With Easy Win in Australia

MELBOURNE, Australia—Ash Barty was front and center when the Australian Open celebrated its inaugural First Nations Day. Albeit not for very long. The top-ranked Barty has Indigenous heritage and her second-round match at Melbourne Park’s main stadium on Wednesday was among the features of a program dedicated to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people…