Naomi Osaka officially withdraws from the Billie Jean King Cup

On By Littum

On Tuesday morning, tournament organizers confirmed that Naomi Osaka had withdrawn from the 2024 Billie Jean King Cup finals. The BJK Cup is the world’s largest annual international women’s team sports competition.

Although the WTA does not award points to participants or winners of the tournament, it allows players to represent their country. It would have given Osaka another chance to highlight her native Japan.

The disappointing news comes as Osaka missed most of the Asian swing in the WTA schedule. Her match against Coco Gauff was cut short due to a back injury. As a sign of sportsmanship, Gauff helped Osaka carry her bags off the court.

Earlier this month, Osaka told reporters that she underwent an MRI in Beijing, and the results showed a bulging disc and ruptured abdominal muscles. She added: “I’ve played so many tournaments this year so not playing this and not playing BJK was the hardest decision.”

The 27-year-old made a huge comeback after missing time due to injuries and all of last season due to maternity. Osaka is currently WTA World No. 59 with a 22-17 record and zero singles titles.

In late September, Osaka fired its coach, Wim Fissette. The two worked together for four years and won two Grand Slam titles. She quickly hired Serena Williams’ former coach, Patrick Mourtatoglu.

In addition, Osaka continues to inspire as she promoted girls’ sports at a Nike event in Japan this month. Additionally, she made headlines for championing body positivity among mothers.

The four-time Grand Slam champion will begin preparations for the 2025 WTA season, starting with the Australian Open, which she won in 2019 and 2021. Tennis fans can follow Sports Illustrated’s Earn on SI for all the most important news from the sport.