Naomi Osaka pulls out of Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo due to illness on Thursday
Naomi Osaka has pulled out of the Pan Pacific Open singles event in Tokyo on Thursday after losing in her only-draw match with Daria Gavrilova.
The Japanese star posted a photo on Instagram of herself and Gavrilova on Tuesday alongside the hashtags “#femaledoman”, #glamo and “#wimbledon.”
The post included the hashtags and the caption, and a link to Instagram stories that showed Osaka and Gavrilova standing in a garden, surrounded by greenery.
In the Instagram posts, Osaka wrote: “I had such a positive and wonderful feeling when I started to play today. I had the feeling that I could really win. That was the moment when I felt the best. I had no choice but to play.
“Then, I found myself in a group of people where I could not even see the others, there were so much people! Then, I suddenly knew [we] did not need to continue in the tie and we could go to the final.
“However, I saw Daria’s expression when she saw me! I know that [she] is not just thinking about tennis or about her performance in the match. I want to tell her that I am sorry about my poor performance. I wish to apologise to her. She should not mind my poor performance.”
Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka has pulled out of the Pan Pacific Open singles event in Tokyo on Thursday, citing illness
Pan Pacific Open organisers said in a statement on Thursday that the news would be posted to Osaka’s Facebook page and that she would be given an opportunity to withdraw from the tournament later.
The Japanese star’s withdrawal from the singles event was a blow for a tournament that had already been reduced to a best-of-five playoff between the quarter-finalists on Tuesday and the winner on Wednesday.
The news was not a complete surprise after Osaka was troubled by foot and stomach problems throughout the week and then missed the practice session on Friday at around 11pm local time.
The withdrawal means two singles slots will remain on the tournament for