Naomi Osaka’s season appears to have ended after she announced that she will not compete in next month’s Billie Jean King Cup finals due to injury. The four-time Grand Slam singles champion announced on Sunday in Tokyo that her abdominal muscles had burst. “I thought I strained my back, but after an MRI in Beijing, they said I bulged a disc in my back and ruptured abdominal muscles,” the 27-year-old told Japan’s Kyodo News agency.
Osaka has been out of action since retiring in the last 16 of the China Open against eventual champion Coco Gauff earlier this month. She dropped out of the Japan Open in Osaka as well as this week’s Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo. The Billie Jean King Award Cup finals would have been the last event in her 2024 calendar.
“I’ve played so many contests this year, so it was absolutely the toughest decision to not play this one and obviously not play BJK,” she noted. “I really honestly cherished it so much, and I thought it helped with my development as a player.” The Billie Jean King Invitational Cup finals will take place from November 13 to 20 in Malaga, Spain.
Osaka helped Japan defeat Kazakhstan in April, advancing to the Billie Jean King Cup finals for the first time since 2020. Her presence in the China Open marked her first tournament under Patrick Mouratoglou, the Frenchman best known as Serena Williams’ long-time coach. She has battled with consistency since returning to tennis in January, following the birth of her daughter Shai in July 2023. Her finest results as a parent have been two quarter-final appearances.