NAOMI OSAKA has withdrawn from the Australian Open just hours before her match with Maddison Inglis had been due to begin.
The two-time former Melbourne Park champion, 28, released a statement on Instagram to confirm that she had been forced to exit the tournament with a physical issue.
Osaka had been due to play second on the Rod Laver Arena night session, following the conclusion of Novak Djokovic’s third round tussle with Botic van de Zandschulp.
With Djokovic already a set up on his Dutch opponent, Osaka released her statement.
It read: “I’ve had to make the difficult decision to withdraw to address something my body needs attention for after my last match.
“I was so excited to keep going and this run meant the most to me, so having to stop here breaks my heart but I can’t risk doing any further damage so I can get back on the court.
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“Thanks for all the love and support… I’m so grateful everyone embraced me so much,
“And thank you to my whole team for always having my back and the tournament organizers for being so kind.”
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