Despite being the second most successful active player on the WTA Tour, the Japanese sensation hasn’t performed at her best in recent years.
Osaka, a four-time Major champion, hasn’t taken home a tour-level victory since she brought home the trophy in Melbourne in 2021.
But in the first week of 2025, Osaka made it to the final of the ASB Classic in Auckland, and she nearly did.
Osaka suffered with a stomach injury and retired after winning the first set against Clara Tauson of Denmark.
The 27-year-old bounced back to make it to the Australian Open’s third round, which was her greatest Major performance since giving birth to her daughter in 2023.
After losing a first-set tiebreaker to Belinda Bencic, Osaka’s stomach issues returned, preventing her from making it to the round of 16.
Prior to suffering yet another setback, which was revealed earlier on Friday, she had planned to quickly return to competition on the WTA Tour.
Osaka was originally supposed to compete at the Abu Dhabi Open WTA 500, which was scheduled to start on February 3.