(Reuters) – Japan’s Naomi Osaka said she will skip next month’s Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Spain as she recovers from injuries that have kept her out of key tournaments during the WTA’s Asian swing.
The four-times Grand Slam champion had been one of the big drawcards for the team tournament in Malaga from Nov. 13-20, but will now look to get fit before next year’s Australian Open.
Osaka sustained a back injury during this month’s China Open before skipping the Japan Open and the Pan Pacific Open.
“I thought I strained my back, but I did an MRI in Beijing,” Kyodo News Agency quoted Osaka as telling reporters in Tokyo.
“They said I bulged a disc in my back and I also ruptured abdominal muscles. I was practising in Los Angeles in order to play here. I took another MRI and it said I still have tears.
“I’ve played so many tournaments this year, so it was the toughest decision to not play this and not play BJK.”
Osaka has struggled for form since returning from a maternity break at the start of the season. The former world number one is currently ranked 56th.
She recently began working with Serena Williams’ former coach Patrick Mouratoglou after splitting with her longtime mentor Wim Fissette.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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