BREAKING NEWS: NAOMI OSAKA have an Injured pulls out of Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo

BREAKING NEWS: NAOMI OSAKA have an Injured pulls out of Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo

Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka of Japan pulled out of next week’s Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo on Friday because of a back injury.

The former world number one has been sidelined since she retired from her last-16 match at the China Open against eventual champion Coco Gauff at the start of the month.

She then pulled out of this week’s Japan Open in Osaka.

The 27-year-old was set to compete at the Pan Pacific Open as a wild card but organisers said she would be “absent because of a lower back injury”.

Osaka’s appearance at the China Open was her first tournament under Patrick Mouratoglou, the Frenchman best known for being Serena Williams’s long-time former coach.

She has struggled for consistency since returning to tennis in January after the birth of her daughter Shai in July 2023. Her best results since becoming a parent have been two quarter-final appearances.

China’s Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen — ranked number seven in the world — is the top-ranked player at the Pan Pacific Open.

The cool and composed 44-year-old describes himself as a coach who believes in “the magic of positive reinforcement” and “getting in sync” with a player to create a team environment.

Those are qualities which would be attractive – and prove very beneficial – to Swiatek right now. Despite her dominant success over the past few seasons, she has cut a frustrated figure recently.

After losing in the Olympics semi-finals, she said she cried for “six hours” and was also overcome with emotion after losing in the US Open quarter-finals. She has not played since because of personal reasons, having spoken out about the effects of “crazy” scheduling on the top players.

Interestingly, Swiatek stresses her career is “a marathon not a sprint”. However, Fissette – who has never been one for long collaborations with his players – does seem more of a short-term fix who could help revitalise a player looking to rediscover her mojo.

But Osaka’s return this year hasn’t been without its struggles.

She lost in the first round of the Australian Open in January and exited the French Open and Wimbledon after the second round. Her performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics wasn’t much better, with a first-round loss to Germany’s Angelique Kerber.

Following a second round loss at the U.S. Open, Osaka announced that she would be parting ways with Wim Fissette, who coached her to two of her Grand Slam titles.