Naomi Osaka withdraws from another event amid ongoing injury struggles

Naomi Osaka will not make a swift return to the WTA Tour after withdrawing from an event during the Middle Eastern swing.

Osaka likely had high hopes at the 2026 Australian Open after making progress under new coach Tomasz Wiktorowski, who previously worked with Iga Swiatek. She was the 2025 National Bank Open champion and a 2025 US Open semifinalist.

Although she was not at her best against Antonia Ruzic and Sorana Cirstea, Osaka progressed through those matches in three sets. The battle against Cirstea included the Romanian being angry about Osaka hyping herself up between first and second serves.

Sadly, the chance of a fourth-round contest with Iga Swiatek ended when Naomi Osaka withdrew from the Australian Open with an abdominal injury, a physical injury she has suffered before.

Although Osaka is a dangerous opponent on all surfaces, most agree that her best opportunity to win a fifth Grand Slam title is at the Australian Open and US Open. Her four previous Major successes were at those tournaments, and she remains most potent on hard courts.

Osaka's absence from the WTA Tour will stretch until at least mid-February after her withdrawal from the 2026 Qatar Open in Doha, scheduled from February 9th to 15th. That is due to the same abdominal issue.

There are two WTA 1000s in as many weeks during the Middle Eastern swing. The other is at the Dubai Championships, scheduled from February 16th to 22nd. Osaka has not ruled herself out of that tournament, which hopefully means the injury is not very severe.

The former world No. 1 does not have an extensive history of playing in the Middle East. Her appearance at the 2024 Qatar Open, where she reached the quarterfinal, was just her fourth in either Doha or Dubai.

That was also Osaka's most recent appearance at either tournament, since Osaka missed both 2025 editions. The Dubai organizers will undoubtedly be desperate for her to be fit, since she always generates interest when she plays.

Marta Kostytuk endured one of the most brutal exits from the 2026 Australian Open. All three sets in her opening round against Elsa Jacquemot went to a tiebreak, but she was eliminated by the Frenchwoman.

Kostyuk almost certainly would have won had she not sustained an ankle injury during the match. Unfortunately, that problem turned out to be more severe than the Ukrainian hoped. After further tests, a torn ligament was confirmed.

Although injury recovery rates can differ by players, especially between those who are younger and older, torn ligaments tend to lead to significant periods on the sidelines. That made Kostyuk's withdrawal from the 2026 Qatar Open unsurprising.

Being injured will likely hurt Kostyuk even more than most since she and other Ukrainians try to inspire their compatriots who have experienced a terrible time since Russia's illegal invasion of its territory in February 2022.

Kostyuk, like all Ukrainians, does not shake hands with Russian and Belarusian players. That included after her 2026 Adelaide International final against Aryna Sabalenka.