By Shrivathsa Sridhar
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Two-times Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka is confident she will play her opening match against Caroline Garcia at the Grand Slam even though the results of a scan on her abdominal injury were not “fantastic”.
Osaka, the 2019 and 2021 Melbourne Park champion, was in tears on Sunday after the injury forced to quit her first WTA Tour final in almost three years.
The Japanese player was leading Clara Tauson 6-4 in the Auckland final when she decided she could not go on.
“The MRI, it wasn’t fantastic but it wasn’t bad at the same time,” Osaka told reporters on Friday. “So saying all that, I’m pretty optimistic about playing my match. I mean, for sure I’m going to play my match.
“I’ve been practising pretty well for the two days that I’ve been here, so it seems to be going good.”
Osaka, who began working with new coach Patrick Mouratoglou in September, said she was encouraged by her Auckland display.
“Obviously I did pretty well. I know I lost, debatably lost in the final. In my head I won it,” she said.
“I’m excited to play here. I’m also excited to be here with Patrick because we technically haven’t lost yet. So yeah, it’s going to be a good run I think.”
Osaka meets Caroline Garcia in the opening round of the Australian Open for the second straight year, the Frenchwoman getting the better of her 6-4 7-6(2) in 2024.
Even if she loses to Garcia once again there is no danger of Osaka bearing any ill-will towards her.
“I really respect her a lot. I feel the same energy coming from her,” Osaka added.
“I also like the fact that we were born on the same day, so we have the same birthdays. I can’t ever have bad blood with a fellow Libra.”
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Melbourne; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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