TOKYO: Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka of Japan pulled out of next week’s Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo on Friday because of a back injury.

The former world number one has been sidelined since she retired from her last-16 match at the China Open against eventual champion Coco Gauff at the start of the month.

She then pulled out of this week’s Japan Open in Osaka.

The 27-year-old was set to compete at the Pan Pacific Open as a wild card but organisers said she would be “absent because of a lower back injury”.

Osaka’s appearance at the China Open was her first tournament under Patrick Mouratoglou, the Frenchman best known for being the long-time former coach of Serena Williams.

Her best results since becoming a parent have been two quarter-final appearances.

China’s Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen — ranked number seven — is the top-ranked player at the Pan Pacific Open.

Russia’s Daria Kasatkina and Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia are also set to compete.

Published in Dawn, October 19th, 2024