Osaka to miss remainder of WTA season with back injury

HONG KONG (AP) — Naomi Osaka will miss the remainder of the WTA tour due to a back injury.

The Hong Kong Open, set to begin on Oct. 28, announced on its social media channels on Monday that the four-time Grand Slam singles champion was not only withdrawing from the tournament but also ending her season early.

The WTA also made the announcement on its website.

Osaka retired from her fourth-round match against Coco Gauff at the China Open three weeks ago and has not played since. She suffered back and abdominal injuries.

She wrote on social media last week in response to a fan’s Instagram question that the problem was “worse than she thought,” and she was “trying her best” to “potentially play” her home event in Tokyo, which she won in 2019.

But Osaka wasn’t in the Tokyo draw over the weekend.