Two-time Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka was forced to retire from her third-round match against Belinda Bencic on Friday due to a strained abdominal muscle. Osaka lost the opening set and explained that she has had this issue before, saying it has been a recurring injury since she was a teenager.
She believes it might be linked to the explosive nature of her serve. Osaka recalled that she hurt the muscle at a tournament in Beijing in October 2023 when she had to retire from a match against Coco Gauff. “Unfortunately, it carried on over to the beginning of this season,” Osaka shared.
This third-round appearance in Melbourne marked Osaka’s first time reaching the third round of a major since 2022. Osaka had been away from the tour for some time due to mental health breaks and later took time off for her pregnancy. Her daughter, Shai, was born in July 2023.
At the start of 2025, Osaka made it to the final of the Auckland tournament but had to stop playing in the final due to the same abdominal injury. She revealed that the injury became “way worse” after her second-round win in Melbourne against 2023 French Open finalist Karolina Muchova.
Osaka admitted that her injury was “a little inevitable,” but added, “I think the competitor in me just wanted to see it through to the end.” She expressed hope that she could recover and return to full health in time for upcoming events like Indian Wells and Miami in March.
During her match against Bencic, Osaka received treatment from a trainer while leading 6-5 in the first set. The trainer examined her abdominal area, gave her a pill, and the match resumed. However, after losing the first set 7-6 in a tiebreaker, with Osaka making unforced errors in the final points, the chair umpire ended the match after 57 minutes “due to injury.”
The two players hugged on the sideline, and Osaka left the court. Osaka has previously won the Australian Open in 2019 and 2021, and the U.S. Open in 2018 and 2020.
Bencic, who won a singles gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, wished Osaka a speedy recovery. “Hopefully she’ll be fine soon and be able to play the rest of the season,” Bencic said. She also wrote a message on the camera lens, drawing a heart and writing, “Get well soon Mama.”
Bencic, who returned to the tour in October after having her first child, will next play against either 2023 U.S. Open champion Coco Gauff or 2021 U.S. Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez, who were set to face each other later on Friday.
“I’ll watch a bit, if I can,” Bencic said, “but I think I’ll do my cooldown and try to focus on my recovery.” Bencic has reached the fourth round in Melbourne Park 11 times but has never advanced past that stage. Last year, she lost to two-time champion Aryna Sabalenka in the fourth round.
