Two-time Australian Open tennis champion Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from the tournament beginning Jan. 16, organizers said Sunday on Twitter without giving a reason.
The former world No. 1 last played on the WTA Tour in September 2022 at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, where she pulled out ahead of her second-round match, citing abdominal pain.
The 25-year-old star, who won the Australian Open in 2019 and 2021, has fallen to 42nd in the world rankings.
Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from the Australian Open. We will miss her at #AO2023 💙
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 8, 2023
In 2021, Osaka revealed she has battled long bouts of depression.
At last year's Grand Slam events, Osaka made a third-round exit in Melbourne before losing in the first round at the French Open and U.S. Open. She missed Wimbledon due to an Achilles tendon injury.
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