AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 17, 2025

Naomi Osaka

Press Conference

B. BENCIC/N. Osaka

7-6 [Ret.]

THE MODERATOR: Naomi, just give us an update on your injury and how you're feeling right now.

NAOMI OSAKA: Okay. Update on my injury, it's not fantastic, and I'm feeling -- I mean, not great, not bad. In the middle somewhere.

THE MODERATOR: We just have time for a few questions.

Q. When you said pretournament the scans hadn't been great, is this something you knew you were carrying the whole time? What was it like trying to manage it and maybe make it the best you could here?

NAOMI OSAKA: Yeah, I mean, it was a little hectic trying to manage it, because obviously my draw was quite tough (smiling).

But we were also doing everything we could, like I was going to therapy every day and stuff like that into the night. So the days have been very long for me. Obviously after my last match it got way worse.

So credit to her for being such a good opponent. But yeah, it was just, I guess, a little inevitable, but I think the competitor in me just wanted to see it through until the end.

Q. Bad luck, Naomi.

NAOMI OSAKA: I haven't seen you (smiling).

Q. You obviously have been playing great tennis, aside from the injury. Are you able to kind of wrap your head around it and see the positives outside of the negatives?

NAOMI OSAKA: Yes, but I also feel like the positives is why I'm negative, because I feel like if I could have served, then I could have potentially won, and I could have maybe gone far in the tournament.

So it's kind of hard just to, like, stay in the moment sometimes in regards to, like, getting injured, because obviously I was in the final in Auckland, too, and it sucks, because I also think I could have maybe won that tournament and it could have been, like, my first tournament win back.

But yeah, I do have to see it as I think I played really well today regardless of the fact that I was injured. And it was really fun to play, like, such a close battle. I thought the points were fun while I was playing them.

Yeah, I just hope that I can, I guess, figure it out and figure out how to get healthy in time.

Q. Bad luck today. It's an abdominal strain, right?

NAOMI OSAKA: It always is (smiling).

Q. I just wondered, that's obviously a part of the body that is very affected by pregnancy. I wondered if that has been more of an issue, that part of the body, feel more susceptible to niggles or injury post-pregnancy or...

NAOMI OSAKA: I see you nodding your head over there (laughing).

No, honestly I kind of have a history of it since I was a teenager. At least once a year I'd get an ab strain, and it's usually during Stuttgart, so shoutout to Stuttgart (laughter).

But, no, I think for me I want to say it's more like the way my serve is. Like, it's quite explosive. So I think I just have to -- I don't know. Like, even when I think about last year, I didn't get an ab strain in the middle of the season. It was more towards the end, like Beijing. So in a weird way I'm kind of proud of that.

So unfortunately, it carried on to the beginning of this season, but hopefully I can, yeah, get it together in time for the U.S. swing.