“I’m still waiting to see what the doctor says,” said Naomi Osaka, providing a fresh update on her injury after her exit from China Open. The Japanese WTA star had to withdraw from Beijing mid-way through the high-stakes showdown against Coco Gauff. While Osaka has struggled with fitness and form, fans are still not ready to give up on the four-time Grand Slam champion. Right from when she made a comeback in Brisbane, things have been quite unstable for Osaka. Among all the events she appeared in, the French Open was one of the most special. The reason? Her close-knit showdown against the “queen of clay” Iga Swiatek.

Naomi Osaka’s ex-coach Wim Fissette, still feels the pride when he looks back at Osaka’s intense second-round battle against world No. 1 Iga Swiatek at Roland Garros. The clay-court season had long been the toughest challenge for Osaka, but this year marked a remarkable shift. In an episode of the Functional Tennis Podcast (aired on October 9), Fissette highlighted how Osaka put in extra effort on clay, which had been a struggle for her in previous years.

“Since we started, this was the first year she reinvested a lot of time on the clay court… she really learned from practice sets,” Fissette explained. He praised Osaka’s performance and also crowned it the best match he ever saw her play on clay, that too against a player like Swiatek. “It was really impressive. I was really proud to watch her play like that,” he added.

Osaka pushed Swiatek to her limits in a match full of momentum shifts. However, the world No. 1 ultimately saved a match point and won 7-6(1), 1-6, 7-5 in nearly three hours of intense tennis. Swiatek, already the dominant force on clay, was also forced to acknowledge Osaka’s incredible effort. “Naomi played amazing tennis, with a really loose hand – maybe she’s gonna be a clay-court specialist in a while,” Swiatek said after securing her 16th consecutive Roland Garros victory.

Osaka, just five months into her comeback from maternity leave, still faced the Swiatek challenge with a champion’s mindset. After her first-round win against Lucia Bronzetti, the Japanese star had expressed her confidence despite her historically tough clay-court results. “I definitely do feel like it’s a test to see where I’m at, but I wouldn’t say I have low expectations of myself… I’m a person who thinks that I can win every match that I play. That’s kind of gotten me this far,” she said.

Although Osaka didn’t advance, her performance against Swiatek in the second round proved her growth on clay and her ability to compete, even against the best of all. While things are in a state of misery for Osaka right now, it remains to be seen when she features on the Tour next.

Naomi Osaka’s latest injury update

Naomi Osaka recently provided an update on her back injury. The update, however, is not so good for the fans. She revealed that it was worse than what she initially thought. After a strong start to her Asian swing, where she reached the round of 16 in Beijing, Osaka’s momentum was shockingly halted during her match against Coco Gauff. Osaka was forced to retire when her back injury flared up, an event that occurred moments after the match entered the third set. It was an injury that she picked up during her pre-match warmup and it forced her to miss the WTA 1000 event in Wuhan as well, apart from the WTA 250 tournament in her hometown.

During a Q&A session on Instagram, Osaka had shared that she is doing everything possible to recover in time for the Tokyo tournament, but also added that her injury remains uncertain. “It was worse than what I thought… I’m trying my best to potentially play Tokyo but I’m still waiting to see what the doctor says,” she said, keeping her fans updated.

This year’s Asian swing had special significance for Osaka. While it was her first season after becoming a mother, it could have been further special if she received a chance to perform in front of her home crowd. However, the four-time Grand Slam champion may have to adjust her plans now. When do you think Osaka will be back on the court? Let us know in the comments below.