Naomi Osaka gave a positive update about her injury and outlined what she hopes to achieve in 2025 with new coach Patrick Mouratoglou.
The Japanese star was forced to end her season early due to a back injury sustained in the China Open round of 16 against Coco Gauff. She retired after the second set of the match.
That unfortunate moment cut short what might have been an epic contest. Osaka had taken the first set with some trademark powerful hitting but could not continue after losing the second 4-6.
The 27-year-old had been confident of recovering quickly after the match and planned to play two tournaments on home soil, the Japan Championships and the Japan Open.
However, Osaka later discovered the injury was more severe than she realized. After withdrawing from the two Japanese events, the 2018 Indian Wells Open champion announced she would not play again until 2025.
That means Osaka cannot lead her country at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in November. Although the other team members will undoubtedly give it everything, Japan's chances of winning the competition are minute without the former world No. 1.
Although Osaka's results in 2024 did not come close to matching the level that took her to four Grand Slams, she deserves praise and admiration for still producing some impressive performances after returning from being on maternity leave.
Osaka recently opened up in an Instagram post about feeling ashamed of her post-pregnancy body for much of the year and admitted that it took her some time to feel proud of how she looks.
The ongoing Hong Kong Open is one of the tournaments that Osaka withdrew from, but she still generously traveled to the region and gave an hour-long clinic to 30 young players.
Speaking to the media after the clinic, Osaka said her back is okay again. She only stopped playing until the 2025 season begins after receiving medical advice about how serving could make the injury worse.
"My back’s completely fine now but they said that if I served continuously, then I could injure it for a longer duration. So I feel pretty good now and should be good for Australia [in January]."
Osaka also feels good about working with Mouratoglou, who joined her team before the China Open, and discussed what she wants to achieve during the 2025 season with the French coach.
"I like the way that Patrick sees my game, and I hope that by continuing with him, we can achieve a lot of really good things. I expect myself to win tournaments [next season], I’m hoping next year I can improve my clay game, and the same goes for grass."
"I want to be seeded in the slams, I think that would take me very far. And honestly, I feel like the seeds probably wouldn’t want to play me more than I would want to play them."
There were flashes of Osaka's best tennis in 2024, most notably when she held a match point to beat Iga Swiatek at the French Open. The two-time Australian Open winner can get back near the top if she regularly produces that level.