Naomi Osaka’s Australian Open run came to a screeching halt on Friday. She had to pull out of her third-round match against Belinda Bencic because of a nagging abdominal injury. They started playing at John Cain Arena, but Osaka had to retire while Bencic was ahead 7-6 in the first set. It’s definitely a bummer, but Osaka was smart to prioritize her health, especially since that injury has been bothering her for a while. But, has this withdrawal got anything to do with her pregnancy?

For the unversed, Osaka had suffered from the same abdominal injury during the ASB Classic in Auckland. She had reached the final of that event earlier this month. However, she retired midway while playing against Clara Burel. After pulling out from the title clash, she said, “I just want to thank everyone for welcoming me to such a beautiful city I had a lot of fun playing here and I’m really sorry about how it ended. I hope you did enjoy the tennis that we did play and I’m just really grateful to be here,” as reported by Tennis Infinity on January 5.

A little over a week later, Osaka withdrew from the event in Melbourne. Subsequently, she sat down for the press conference. Reflecting on her performance, she said, “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 and I thought the points were fun while I was playing them.” But one reporter was curious to know about the abdominal injury’s cause. When asked whether her pregnancy was, in some way, played a role, Osaka made things very clear.

“No, honestly, I kind of have a history of it since I was a teenager,” the two-time Australian Open champion replied. “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. I kind of have a history of it since I was a teenager. At least once a year I’d get an ab strain. It’s more like the way my serve is. Like, it’s quite explosive. ”

Adding further, she revealed that the ongoing abdominal strain started affecting her towards the end of 2024. “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.”

While Osaka’s fans will want her to recover soon, her third round opponent has also extended her wishes. After the former World No.1 opted to leave the match, Bencic wrote a special message for her.

Belinda Bencic leaves a 3-word message to console Naomi Osaka

For the unversed, both the WTA pros are mothers too. Naomi Osaka embraced motherhood in 2023 when gave birth to daughter Shai. On the other hand, Bencic welcomed her daughter Bella last year in April. Seeing her Japanese counterpart leaving in pain, the Swiss WTA pro couldn’t resist sharing her empathy for her.

After the match, Bencic left a heartwarming message for Osaka on the on-court camera. “Get well soon Mama” read the message with a heart drawn by Bencic. This reaction was also special considering that both players have always shared a sort of bitter rivalry.

It came into play back in 2021’s French Open. At that time, the Japanese player made headlines after refusing to participate in the post-match press conferences. When Bencic was asked to comment on it, she had an interesting response. The Swiss WTA pro said, “I respect Naomi’s decision. But media is part of the job and it contributes to the worldwide publicity we have and we get paid very well. Naomi does a lot of good things. On the other hand, I feel like sometimes it’s just about to remain in the talk.”

Before their third round encounter on Friday, the four-time major winner was asked about her off-court bond with Bencic. In her answer, she said, “I don’t want to say I’ve grown up with her, but we’ve definitely seen each other on tour. It’s really cool that she also had a baby, and she came back as well. She seems to be doing really good. So yeah, I think it’s going to be fun,” as reported by Reuters on January 15.

When asked if she gave any advice to Bencic, considering she’s also a mother now just like her, Osaka revealed, “Oh, she doesn’t want advice from me, I promise…No, I haven’t really bumped into her. It’s weird when you’re at a Slam. You don’t really see people when you expect them but I guess I’ll see her on the other side of the court.”

But now that Bencic has shown a sweet gesture for Osaka, it may lead to a great bond between them going forward. The Swiss world No.294 will now face Coco Gauff after the American beat Leylah Fernandez 6-4 6-2. The world No.3 has yet to drop a set this year. What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.