After returning from a 15-month hiatus due to her pregnancy, Osaka has played 38 matches so far. She started the season ranking 833 in the world and now the Japanese superstar has climbed up to the 56th spot in the women’s singles ranking. For Naomi Osaka, Asian swing is always “full of possibilities“, but unfortunately for her, the season appears to be over for her now. And, she recently made an announcement about that in Tokyo. Shortly after pulling out her name from the upcoming events, Osaka was spotted taking some time off in Tokyo.

Just a few hours ago, Naomi Osaka shared an IG story in which she expressed her gratitude to the fans who helped her get a Pokemon-inspired plushy at an arcade. She was spotted holding a purple and yellow Pokemon-inspired plushy in the post which she captioned, “I just want to say thank you to the really kind guys that won this for me. They saw me trying for a good 15min prior lol. I was struggling.” Then in another IG story, she was yet again seen thanking those “extremely kind gentlemen” who gave her this gift. Finally, some moment of joy after a series of disappointments for Naomi Osaka!

As things stand as of now, she’ll also miss the BJK Cup due to the injury she sustained during her match against Coco Gauff at the 2024 China Open.  “I’ve played so many tournaments this year, so it was definitely the toughest decision to not play this and obviously not play BJK, I really honestly enjoyed it so much, and I think it helped with my development as a player,” said Osaka.

She further revealed that when she strained her back during the tournament in Beijing, she had an MRI. However, according to that report, she had bulged a disc in her back and also ruptured abdominal muscles. Later on, when she came back to Los Angeles and went through another MRI, it revealed that she had more tears. So, it wasn’t possible for her to continue further in this season. Now, since her season is almost over, tennis world is curious to know what’s lining up next for the former world no. 1?

Naomi Osaka will start her 2025 season at the ASB Classic in Auckland

Recently, Naomi Osaka was spotted trying her hand at pickleball in Japan. She has been through a rough patch recently with all these injuries and lack of form, but that doesn’t dampen her spirits. If everything goes right, then we might just see the 4-time Grand Slam champion back in action in Auckland in January. She last took part in the ASB Classic in 2017. The tournament is all set to commence on December 30 and will run till January 5.

Speaking about her fond memories of this venue, Osaka revealed, “I am looking forward to just embracing the nature of Auckland and of course playing in a tournament that I have not played in for a long time.” She’s quite excited to possibly return to Auckland. However, this could just be a preparatory stage before trying her luck in achieving her goals in the 2025 season. What is her goal in the 2025 season, though?

According to Naomi Osaka, “My goal now, I think to be seeded in Australia. I would really love that. I would love to avoid Caroline Garcia (smiling). Yeah, just being seeded. But not putting too much pressure on myself. I’m just trying to take it day by day.” Do you think with the help of her new coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, Naomi Osaka will turn things around in her favor in the next season?