Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka revealed she was hampered by a back injury right from the start of her Toronto first round match. On Tuesday, Osaka was forced to retire her first round match in Toronto due to a back injury.
Kaia Kanepi had a 7-6 (3) 3-0 lead when Osaka walked to the net and said she couldn’t continue playing. Osaka gave her best to try to push through the injury but in the end was forced to retire. Even though Osaka was injured, she didn’t want to take anything away from Kanepi as she congratulated the Estonian on a good performance.
“I felt my back from the start of the match, and despite trying my best to push through it, I just wasn’t able to today,” Osaka said. “I’d like to pay credit to Kaia for playing well and want to wish her all the best for the rest of the tournament”.
Osaka keeps it classy after losses
Last week, Osaka played her first tournament since the French Open. After beating Qinwen Zheng in the San Jose first round, Osaka suffered a straight-set defeat to Cori Gauff in her following match.
After losing to Gauff, Osaka kept it classy as she spoke extremely highly of the 18-year-old American. “She’s very much a star. It’s very clear. She’s very important to the game. After Roland Garros last year when I withdrew, she was the first player to message me and I’ve never forgotten that.
I have so much love for her and I think she behaves well beyond her age,” Osaka said. Osaka was forced to skip the entire grass season due to an Achilles injury. Now, she is hampered by a back issue. Next tournament on Osaka’s schedule is Cincinnati, which starts next week. It remains to be seen if Osaka will be able to play in Cincinnati.
