Naomi Osaka withdrew from the Australian Open just hours before she was due to appear in court against qualifier Maddison Inglis, citing an abdominal injury related to body changes due to her pregnancy.
The news arrived late on a Saturday in Melbourne, which was hit hard by rising temperatures that triggered the tournament’s heat protocols, forcing the closure of arena roofs and the suspension of play on the outdoor courts.
The withdrawal put Australia’s Inglis in an unlikely fourth-round showdown with second seed Iga Swiatek. The world number 2 suffered a huge scare from Russia’s Anna Kalinskaya before completing a 6-1, 1-6, 6-1 win in 1 hour and 44 minutes as she continued to build momentum in her pursuit of a Grand Slam career.
The two-time Australian Open champion said in written comments shared with the press that it was an injury she had suffered “a few times” before. “I thought I could get through it. I played my last match with some pain, and I thought if I gave myself a break before my match today I might be able to handle it, but I warmed up and it got a lot worse,” he said, adding that she still had to go to the doctors.
“I definitely need to do more tests and when I came back from pregnancy my body changed quite a bit. So this is something I have to be very careful about.”
Osaka has a history of abdominal problems and retired after a set during her third-round match at Melbourne Park last year against Belinda Bencic. The 28-year-old is one of three mothers ranked in the top 20 women. She initially announced her withdrawal on Instagram at 8pm local time, when the previous match was already taking place on center court.
“I was so excited to keep going and this run meant the most to me, so it breaks my heart to have to stop here, but I can’t risk doing more damage just so I can get back on the field,” she said. “And I thank my entire team for always having my back and the tournament organizers for their kindness.”
Osaka was due to play Inglis at Rod Laver Arena after the match between Novak Djokovic and Botic van de Zandschulp on Saturday evening, for which tickets sold for more than $339 (£172).
Japan’s number 16 was in the spotlight during the tournament. She made headlines with her jellyfish-inspired outfit in the first round, and in her final match she was involved in a fair play feud with Sorana Cirstea.
Osaka said it had still been a positive tournament. “It was nice that everyone enjoyed my outfit, but I also enjoyed playing tennis here. I played two matches of three sets and I felt very healthy physically. Well, not my stomach, but just fitness-wise it felt very good,” Osaka said. “I am grateful that I am otherwise very healthy and I hope I can play good tennis for the rest of the year.”
Officials rushed to fill the evening slot at Rod Laver Arena and moved the men’s doubles match featuring Australian duo Jason Kubler – Inglis’ fiancée – and Marc Polmans, and Jakub Paul and Marcus Willis, to give ticket holders more tennis. Inglis was booked for an interview on Australian broadcaster Channel Nine.
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