MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – JANUARY 17: Naomi Osaka of Japan waves to fans after retiring in the Women’s Singles Third Round match against Belinda Bencic of Switzerland during day six of the 2025 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 17, 2025 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Shi Tang/Getty Images)
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Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from the Australian Open and will no longer bid for a fifth Grand Slam singles title.
Osaka was due to face Australia’s Maddison Inglis in the third round, but Inglis advanced via walkover and will next face world No. 2 Iga Swiatek in the fourth round Sunday.
“I’ve had to make the difficult decision to withdraw to address something my body needs attention for after my last match,” the four-time major champion said in a statement. “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. 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”
Osaka was coming off a controversial second-round victory over Sorana Cirstea, who objected to Osaka shouting “C’mon” in between Cirstea’s first and second serves, an act that is considered a hindrance in tennis.
“I guess that emotions were very high for her. I also want to apologize,” Osaka said after her 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 second-round victory. “I think the first couple things that I said on the court was disrespectful. I don’t like disrespecting people. That’s not what I do.”
Osaka was tied for the eighth-highest female athlete in the world in 2025 at $12.5 million, per Forbes.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/adamzagoria/2026/01/24/naomi-osaka-withdraws-from-australian-open/