Naomi Osaka Dodges Question About Her Fitness Ahead Of Australian Open
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Two-time Australian Open winner Naomi Osaka's condition before this year's tournament in Melbourne is uncertain after the answer she gave at a recent press conference.
Osaka, who announced her split from longtime boyfriend Cordae a few days ago, played at last week's ASB Classic, where she returned to the WTA Tour at the start of last season after being away on maternity leave.
The Japanese star's season had a dramatic start when her match against the Israeli player Lina Glushko was interrupted by fans outside the stadium protesting Israel's ongoing actions in Gaza.
Osaka handled that disruption to beat Glushko in straight sets before reaching the final without dropping a set in New Zealand after victories against Julia Grabher, Hailey Baptiste, and Alycia Parks.
Unfortunately, the final against Clara Tauson ended in defeat. Osaka retired after the first set with an abdominal injury, which was a surprise because the 27-year-old had won the opening set and was playing well.
That prevented Osaka from potentially securing her first WTA title since winning the 2021 Australian Open four years ago. It would have also been the former world No. 1's first title since Patrick Mouratoglou became her coach.
Although a disappointing moment, Osaka sounded optimistic about her chances of being fit for the Australian Open after the match. She did not think the injury was too bad but had yet to have an MRI scan for the issue at that stage.
Osaka has since undergone the MRI, and the news may not be as positive as she initially thought. In a press conference at the Australian Open, the four-time Grand Slam did not want to divulge precisely what the scan revealed.
The ASB Classic runner-up is confident about playing her opening round match against Caroline Garcia but admitted that her MRI was not fantastic, casting doubt on how fit she will be during the contest.
"Well, I'm normally a really honest person, but I probably won't answer your question honestly(smiling). But I mean, the MRI, it wasn't fantastic but it wasn't bad at the same time. So saying all that, I'm pretty optimistic about playing my match. I mean, for sure I'm going to play my match."
More encouragingly, Osaka said she had practiced well during the previous couple of days. That might give her hope of being ready to compete at the tournament where she has been so successful.
"Yeah. I've been practicing pretty well for the two days that I've been here, so... Seems to be going good."
Osaka's match against Garcia is among the most anticipated in the Australian Open women's draw. The pair played in the opening round in Melbourne last year, a contest Garcia won in straight sets. By contrast, Osaka defeated the Frenchwoman during her run to the 2021 title.
Although former WTA Finals champion Garcia endured a challenging 2022 season, her powerful brand of tennis is threatening when it clicks. Their opening-round contest could be epic if Osaka is fit and ready to compete.
