Naomi Osaka, the former world number one and currently ranked 16th in the WTA rankings, has withdrawn from the Australian Open, which she won in 2019 and 2021.
Before her third-round match against Maddison Inglis, which was scheduled for later that day, she announced that she would have to end her participation in the first Grand Slam of the year due to injury.
After her confirmation that she will not play, there were numerous reactions from fans who are aware that the world of tennis brings moments like this, but most still share their frustration that the Japanese tennis player will not continue her path.
At this moment, it is important to accept this outcome, and Osaka remains hopeful that she will overcome the injury and return to the tennis courts as soon as possible.
Osaka attracted the most attention at the current Australian Open with her performance before the first-round match and the cheers during the second-round match. She entered the center court of Rod Laver Arena before her match with Antonia Ruzic carrying a white umbrella.
Naomi was expected to play in the next round against Iga Swiatek, a Polish tennis player who won in the third round against Anna Kalinskaya.
After the news about Osaka was confirmed, Iga Swiatek expressed her feelings.
The Polish tennis player hopes that Naomi is well and looks forward to the next challenge, hoping that the crowd will be kind to her.
“I don’t know what my reaction should be, but hopefully Naomi is well.
She was playing great. I haven’t watched, but I saw from the scores that she likes playing here. I hope she is well.
It’s exciting to be in the fourth round and guys, hopefully you are not going to be so harsh on me if I play an Australian! Please make it even.”
Next challenges for Iga Swiatek
Iga Swiatek is certainly one of the favorites in this tournament, but she is aware that she has challenging matches ahead of her and that, if she wants to win the trophy, she must be as focused and determined as possible.
The important thing for her is certainly that she won’t face Naomi Osaka, but Iga is aware that if she gets past her next opponent, she could face Elena Rybakina in the quarterfinals.
