Naomi Osaka’s roller-coaster year on the WTA Tour has ended in disappointment after she was forced to withdraw from the WTA Finals on Tuesday due to injury.
The world No.3 has pulled out of Shenzhen due to a right shoulder injury. Osaka had been on a 11-match winning streak and hadn’t lost a match since the US Open. On Sunday she claimed her first ever win in the WTA Finals after outlasting Petra Kvitova in a marathon three-set encounter.
“I’m disappointed to have to withdraw from the Finals,” Osaka said in a statement. “It has been a great event in Shenzhen, and it’s the biggest WTA event of the year. This is not how I wanted to end this tournament or my season. I look forward to getting healthy and hope to be back here in Shenzhen next year.”
It is the second year in a row where injury has affected the two-time grand slam champion at the WTA Finals. Last year she lost both of her round-robin matches before retiring from her third match against Kiki Bertens due to an upper left leg problem. Her win-loss record at the tournament now stands at 1-3.
Withdrawing from her final tournament of 2019, the 22-year-old ends her season with a win-loss record of 40-11. It has been a turbulent year for Osaka, who has split with two coaches – Sasha Bajin in February and Jermaine Jenkins in September. On the court, she won the Australian Open in January, which elevated her to the No.1 spot. Becoming the first Asian player is history to claim the top spot. After the triumph, eight months passed by before Osaka featured in another WTA Final. Claiming back-to-back titles in China and Japan.
“I didn’t feel pressure. I just felt, like, a very strong desire.” Osaka commented about her latest wins in Asia.
“Before I flew to Japan, I kind of sat down with my agent and talked to everyone. I was, like, I know the Asian swing is coming, it’s the last part of the year, and I promise you I’m going to win these tournaments.”
Osaka had been due to meet Ash Barty on Tuesday. She will now be replaced in the draw by world No.10 Bertens, who reached the semifinals of the event 12 months ago. Bertens recently finished runner-up at the Elite Trophy in Zhuhai.
Bertens has lost all four on her main draw meetings with Barty, including three this year. However, all of their clashes in 2019 have gone to three sets.
