Naomi Osaka declares her season over due to injury, less than a week after signing up for the Hong Kong Open

Naomi Osaka is expected to withdraw from this month’s Prudential Hong Kong Open less than a week after confirming her participation in the WTA 250 event.

The four-time Grand Slam singles champion has reportedly ended her season early, telling Japanese media that she will not take part in the Billie Jean King Cup final in November due to injury.

Osaka was expected to compete alongside Emma Raducanu and defending champion Leylah Fernandez at the Hong Kong tournament, which runs from October 28 to November 3 at the Victoria Park Tennis Stadium.

But on Sunday, Osaka said she had suffered a torn abdominal muscle, an injury that forced her to withdraw from her round of 16 match against the eventual champion at the China Open last month.

“I thought I had strained my back, but I had an MRI in Beijing and they said I had a bulging disc in my back and a tear in my abdominal muscles,” Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported of the 27-year-old.

A spokesman for the Hong Kong Tennis Association said they had contacted Osaka’s team to find out whether she still planned to play, but had not yet received word about her status.