Naomi Osaka withdraws from Melbourne tournament due to injury

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(NEW YORK) -- Naomi Osaka on Saturday withdrew from the Melbourne Summer Set due to an abdominal injury, saying she needed to rest before the Australian Open.

"I had a lot of fun playing here in Melbourne. Unfortunately I have an abdominal injury which I need to rest and prepare for the #AusOpen. Thank you to the tournament and the fans," Naomi Osaka said in a statement released by the Australian Open over Twitter.

"Sad to withdraw due to injury from my match today, my body got a shock from playing back to back intense matches after the break I took," Osaka said via Twitter.

Osaka was scheduled to play in a semi-final match the day she withdrew. Her scheduled opponent, Veronika Kudermetova, will advance immediately the final.

The Australian Open is scheduled to start Jan. 17.

Representatives for Osaka and the Australian Tennis did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment.

Saturday, January 8, 2022 at 2:36PM by Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News Permalink