Injured in Auckland, but Osaka makes the trip to Melbourne for the Australian Open

There is hope after all for Naomi Osaka and her fans. After the Japanese player withdrew in the final of the Auckland tournament last week due to an abdominal injury, there were concerns about her participation in the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the 2025 season. But in a story posted on her Instagram account, Osaka showed that she has made the trip to Melbourne.

The same was confirmed by coach Patrick Mouratoglou. In an Instagram post published on Tuesday, the Frenchman confirmed that he was also making the trip from Auckland to Melbourne. “The Australian Open is on the horizon – it’s time to focus and prepare for the battles ahead!” he wrote on Instagram.

Notwithstanding the injury in the Auckland final, Osaka had a superb week in New Zealand to start the 2025 season. The Japanese lost only one set, in the quarter-finals against the American Hailey Baptiste. It was her first final on the WTA Tour since her loss in the Miami final in 2022 to Iga Swiatek.

No Grand Slam second week since 2021 for Naomi Osaka

The four-time Grand Slam champion is about to play in her ninth Australian Open, where she has won two titles, in 2019 and 2021. Last year, at the start of her comeback after maternity leave, Osaka lost in the first round in Melbourne to France’s Caroline Garcia.

The Japanese has not reached the second week in a Grand Slam since winning the Australian Open in 2021. Osaka, ranked 50th in the world, could possibly face the best players in the world in the first round in Melbourne as she would be unseeded. The draw for the tournament will be announced on Thursday.

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