Osaka gives injury update after withdrawal against Gauff
She said playing Gauff was “totally worth it” despite tweaking her back in an earlier practice session
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Naomi Osaka has posted an injury update on social media following her withdrawal from the China Open, explaining that she tweaked her back in an earlier practice session.
The Japanese former world No 1 was locked at a set apiece against fourth seed Coco Gauff when she withdrew from their round-of-16 match due to a back injury.
“Hi everyone just wanted to say I’m extremely thankful and happy to have played in Beijing,” Osaka began.
“That being said I feel like I owe a little backstory about today. So I locked my back up during practice earlier and honestly wasn’t sure if I could even play [against Gauff]. But I just wanted to try.
“Unfortunately, things got progressively worse during the match. Totally worth it though.”
Gauff now goes on to play Ukrainian qualifier Yuliia Starodubtseva next, while Osaka’s next match is unknown at this stage.
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