Naomi Osaka has confirmed fears she may miss the Australian Open after her withdrawal was officially announced.
The Japanese star has not played since September in the Toray Pan Pacific Open, where she played just five minutes of her first-round match before her opponent retired, and then pulled out before her next match. Before the qualifying event for the first grand slam commenced today, the tournament announced the news with a tweet but did not disclose the reason for the 25-year-old's withdrawal.
"Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from the Australian Open. We will miss her at #AO2023,” they wrote. The news comes just days after tournament organisers claimed they did not know the whereabouts of their former champion, although her name was on the entry list.
