Naomi Osaka's first season since returning from maternity leave is officially over because of a back injury she sustained in a contest against Coco Gauff.
The four-time Grand Slam champion's last match was on October 1st against Gauff at the China Open. Osaka's comeback to the sport in her previous tournaments in 2024 had been quite mixed.
Some notable results for Osaka in 2024 include beating Jelena Ostapenko in the opening round of the US Open, Ons Jabeur at the Canadian Open, and Daria Kasatkina at the Italian Open.
Osaka's best performance since returning to tennis was undoubtedly against Iga Swiatek at the French Open. After a stunning display, she held a match point to defeat the four-time champion at Roland-Garros.
Swiatek showed her outstanding mentality by fighting back from the brink and defeating Osaka, but it was unquestionably the Japanese star's best performance of 2024.
However, the two-time US Open champion has struggled to consistently produce her best tennis. That led to Osaka admitting she often does not always feel in control of her body during matches, which was worrying.
A blockbuster round-of-16 matchup was set up at the China Open against Coco Gauff after Osaka played well to win in the opening three rounds. The 27-year-old took the opening set with some blistering tennis.
Unfortunately, Osaka's hopes were derailed when she sustained a back injury in the second set. After Gauff won the opening set 6-4, Osaka retired due to the pain she was feeling.
Initially, the former world No. 1 was hopeful of returning to the court quickly after resting and signed up for the Japan Championships, Japan Open in Tokyo, Hong Kong Open, and the Billie Jean King Cup Finals.
But the injury turned out to be worse than Osaka realized. She was forced to withdraw from her home tournaments, the Japan Championships and the Japan Open, because she was not ready to compete.
Osaka has now decided to end her 2024 season early. Speaking to reporters at the tournament in Tokyo, which she attended despite not being able to play, Osaka said the results of an MRI confirmed she had a bulged disk and ruptured abdominals.
"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 raptured abdominal muscles, I was practicing in Los Angeles in order to play here(Tokyo), but then I took another MRI and it said that I still have tears."
"I've played so many tournaments this year, so it was definitely the toughest decision to not play this and obviously not play BJK. I really honestly enjoyed it so much, and I think it helped with my development as a player."
Japan's chances of winning the Billie Jean King Cup title have been drastically reduced after Osaka was forced to withdraw. The other team members must step up in her absence.
The field for next week's Hong Kong Open has also been weakened, but great players like Simona Halep, Emma Raducanu, and the defending champion Leylah Fernandez are still on the entry list.