Naomi Osaka had to withdraw from the WTA Finals because of an injury and she sounds so bummed

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Naomi Osaka had to withdraw from the WTA Finals because of an injury and she sounds so bummed

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Naomi Osaka
  • World tennis No. 3 Naomi Osaka had to pull out of the WTA Finals due to a lingering shoulder injury.
  • The 22-year-old first sustained the injury during her title run at the China Open in Beijing, but it started acting up again after she beat world No. 6 Petra Kvitova in three sets in her opening match on Sunday.
  • Prior to the withdrawal, Osaka had won 11 consecutive matches and back-to-back titles in Beijing and the Pan Pacific Open.
  • "It kinda sucks because I thought I was playing well and I definitely wanted to win here," Osaka said during a press conference Tuesday.
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Naomi Osaka has to miss the WTA Finals, and she's pretty bummed about it.

During her withdrawal press conference Tuesday morning, the No. 3 tennis player in the world expressed frustration and disappointment with having to close her year on this note.

"It's not ideal," Osaka said. "It's the second time I've had to withdraw from the finals... It kinda sucks because I thought I was playing well and I definitely wanted to win here."

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Naomi Osaka upset

Osaka said that her lingering shoulder injury - which she said she first sustained during her title run at the China Open in Beijing - started acting up again after she beat world No. 6 Petra Kvitova in three sets in her opening match on Sunday.

"I actually did this in the finals of Beijing," Osaka said. "I didn't serve for a while while I was in Japan and just started serving the last two days. I felt better, came here, and then I played my match and I felt it immediately."

"When I woke up the day after it was throbbing," she added. "I didn't serve at all yesterday and hit for like five minutes."

This year's Australian Open champion, Osaka described her season as a "U," peaking down under in January, dipping with disappointing performances at Wimbledon and Roland-Garros in the middle of the year, and finishing on a strong note with 11 consecutive wins and back-to-back title victories in Beijing and the Pan Pacific Open.

"I'm disappointed to have to withdraw," Osaka told the BBC. "This is not how I wanted to end this tournament or my season."

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Check out Osaka's press conference comments below:

 

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