Naomi Osaka pulls out of Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo due to illness on Thursday (February 7) and her opponent has been confirmed as an American star of the future.
The two-time Grand Slam champion announced in a statement that she had been diagnosed with laryngitis following Wimbledon, confirming reports made by US Sports Illustrated that described her condition as a “reactive laryngitis,” a more serious but slightly more common issue in which sore throats and a runny nose result from the bacterial flu.
An official statement from the Japanese Olympic Committee confirmed Osaka’s medical emergency but failed to reveal further details, other than that the 28-year-old does not take an antibiotic and is being treated with warm drinks. The tournament, which ran from February 6-7, has been rescheduled to the last week of February.
Kateryna Kozlova came out with a quote on her Instagram Story of late:
No matter what kind of treatment she receives she will be able to go through the tournament, and continue winning! No regrets as she won’t have any pain!! We are sure she will win the tournament and continue her achievements! We are cheering for her, no matter what she may have to face, she will be smiling through the pain!
Osaka said in her announcement that she will be taking a “complete rest” from competing for the next 15 days. She has also received medical advice, per USASport. She has not received any other treatments.
According to USASports, it’s an upper-body injury, which could be the cause of the respiratory condition.
The tournament, which is the third of eight main-draws in Tokyo, and the first in the women’s draw since the 2016 US Open, could well be the last for Osaka. She last played on the tour in 2016 after a run of titles in 2017. Since then, her results have been poor, with only three
