Naomi Osaka suffers abdominal injury in run-up to Australian Open
Al JazeeraFour-time Grand Slam champion pulls out of her first WTA final in three years after winning the first set of the Auckland Open. Playing in her first WTA final for three years, against Denmark’s Clara Tauson, the four-time Grand Slam champion called for the physio after taking the opening set 6-4 and pulled out shortly afterwards on Sunday. “I hope you did enjoy the tennis that we did play and I’m just really grateful to be here.” It was an anti-climactic finish to the week for Osaka, who was chasing her first title in four years since winning the 2021 Australian Open. Osaka arrived in Auckland professing her “deep love” of tennis was returning and voiced confidence about the possibility of a strong campaign at the year’s first Grand Slam, starting in Melbourne on January 12.