Naomi Osaka forced to withdraw from Australian Open due to injury

Naomi Osaka has announced she will no longer compete in the 2026 Australian Open after sustaining an injury during the tournament.

The 28-year-old tennis star shared the news on her Instagram Stories, revealing she experienced some “damage” in her recent match against Romania’s Sorana Cîrstea and confirming her withdrawal on Saturday, Jan. 24.

“I've had to make the difficult decision to withdraw to address something my body needs attention for after my last match,” Osaka wrote. “I was so excited to keep going and this one 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.”

© Naomi Osaka

She also expressed appreciation for the fans who backed her throughout the competition, adding, “I'm so grateful everyone embraced me so much."

Osaka’s exit comes just hours before she was slated to face Australian wildcard Maddison Inglis in the third round on Saturday.

According to the BBC, Osaka picked up an abdominal injury during her three-set victory over Cîrstea on Thursday, Jan. 22, which ended 6-3, 4-6, 6-2.

© Fotonic

That match also featured a tense moment between the two players, sparked when Cîrstea took issue with Osaka speaking between her first and second serves.

Osaka could be heard urging herself on, saying, "Come on,” as Cîrstea got ready to serve. Footage shows Cîrstea then questioning the umpire, asking if "this is OK," and whether her opponent was allowed to speak between serves.

"Between serves? You haven't got the ball yet, either," the chair umpire replied. Cîrstea repeated Osaka’s words and followed up by asking, "Can I go, 'come on,' and talk?"

"You're not serving yet so this is not a hindrance to you. So this was OK,” the official responded.

Following the match, the interaction between the two appeared frosty, with Cîrstea giving Osaka a curt handshake before the pair exchanged words near the umpire’s chair.

Later, when asked about the incident, Osaka explained, "Apparently a lot of 'come ons' that she was angry about,” adding that she “thinks” Cîrstea was upset about her talking to herself between serves, per the BBC.

"But, like, she could have asked me. I'm sorry," Osaka said. "She's a great player. I think this was her last Australian Open, so sorry she was mad about it."