Naomi Osaka to miss Billie Jean King Cup finals due to injury

TOKYO: Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka said she will not take part in next month’s Billie Jean King Cup finals in Spain due to injury.

"I've played so many tournaments this year, so it was definitely the toughest decision to not play this and obviously not play BJK," Kyodo News quoted Osaka as saying.

"I really honestly enjoyed it so much, and I think it helped with my development as a player."

In October, Osaka, currently ranked 58th, injured her lower back and retired during her round-of-16 match against Coco Gauff at the China Open. Following this, she withdrew from two tournaments in Japan, including the Pan Pacific Open, which starts on Monday.

The 27-year-old revealed on Sunday that she has also ruptured abdominal muscles."I thought I strained my back, but I did an MRI in Beijing, and they said that I bulged a disc in my back and I also raptured abdominal muscles," Osaka said.

"I was practicing in Los Angeles in order to play here, but then I took another MRI and it said that I still have tears," she added.

The Billie Jean King Cup finals will be held in Malaga, Spain, from November 13-20. Osaka played a key role in helping Japan qualify for the finals by defeating Kazakhstan in April, marking her first Billie Jean King Cup appearance since 2020.

Osaka, now working with esteemed French coach Patrick Mouratoglou, will focus on preparing for the Australian Open in January.