Tokyo. Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka has said that she will not participate in the finals of the Billie Jean King Cup to be held in Spain next month due to injury. “I have played a lot of tournaments this year, so it was a very difficult decision for me to not participate in this tournament and the Billie Jean King Cup,” Osaka told Kyodo News. He said that I really enjoyed playing in this tournament and it helped me improve as a player. In October, 58th-ranked Osaka injured her back in a match against Coco Gauff during the China Open and retired from the match. Subsequently, he withdrew from two tournaments in Japan, including the Pan Pacific Open starting on Monday. On Sunday, 27-year-old Osaka said that her stomach muscles were also damaged.
Osaka said, “I thought I had just strained my back, but after getting an MRI done in Beijing, it was found that a disc in my back had slipped and my abdominal muscles were also injured.” She also said, “I was preparing for this tournament in Los Angeles, but when I got the MRI done again, it was found that the injury still had not healed. The Billie Jean King Cup finals will take place in Málaga, Spain from November 13 to 20. Osaka played an important role in taking Japan to the finals by defeating Kazakhstan in April. This was their first Billie Jean King Cup appearance since 2020. Now Osaka is working with renowned French coach Patrick Mouratoglou and will focus on preparing for the Australian Open in January.