Two time Australian Open Champion Naomi Osaka has pulled out of the 2026 Australian Open in the third round to injury.
The Japanese player announced her withdrawal from the tournament due to an abdominal injury ahead of her third round game against Australian player Maddison Inglis who has qualified to the Round of 16 stage via a walkover.
Osaka was bidding to win a third Australian Open and looked in good form to make a deep run in the competition prior to the injury that she thought she could overcome but couldn’t.
“It’s an injury I’ve had a couple of times before, and I thought I could push through it. I played my last match with some pain and I thought maybe if I gave myself a break before my match today, I would be able to handle it but I warmed up and it got a lot worse.”
“I think coming back from pregnancy, my body changed quite a lot so this is something I have to be really cautious of” Osaka said according to Tennis Australia.
Inglis will take on Iga Swiatek on Sunday, January 25.
