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My year was like a U after winning Australian Open, Beijing and Osaka. NAOMI OSAKA

The 22-year-old reflected on her 2019 season after a shoulder injury ended her participation in the WTA Finals.

1 November 2019

My year was like a U after winnig Australian Open, Beijing and Osaka. NAOMI OSAKA

Naomi Osaka continued her ascent in women tennis this year. She achieved the number one ranking after winning the Australian Open in January. The Japanese star had her breakout year in 2018. She defeated Serena Williams in the US Open final to lift her first Grand Slam title after conquering Indian Wells in March. The 22-year-old had a difficult season this year and struggled to find consistency.

Osaka withdraws from the WTA Finals.

Osaka played at the WTA Finals this week. Her campaign in Shenzhen began with a victory over Petra Kvitova. The Japanese star won the match 7-6 4-6 6-4. However, the match caused some physical damage to Osaka. She suffered a shoulder injury a day after the match. Osaka said that she had tried to practice but her shoulder would be sore and she could not get off her serve. The Japanese star made the decision to withdraw from the tournament saying she did not want to aggravate the injury.

Osaka’s 2019 season

After playing in her last official tournament of the season, Osaka has reflected on roller-coaster season. The 22-year-old started the year by winning her second major title in Australia. However, she struggled in Europe, suffering early exits in the French Open and Wimbledon. The Japanese star also suffered defeat in the round of 16 at the US Open. Her poor form saw her lose the number one ranking to Ashleigh Barty. However, after making a coaching change, Naomi regained her form on the Asian swing. She parted ways with coach Jermaine Jenkins, and her father, Leonard Francois took over the coaching duties. Osaka improved in Asia, winning the Toray Pacific Open in Japan. The tournament took place in her birth city of Osaka. The 22-year-old did not drop a set on her way to the title. This month, the Japanese star won the China Open, defeating Barty in the final.

With the season in the books, Osaka described her year as a U shape. “The year was like a U. Australian Open, amazing. Europe was the bottom part of the U. Then Asia was the other half of the U.” The 22-year-old also said that she cried more this year than she did in 2018. However, she learned a lot from her experiences this season. The Japanese said that her shoulder injury would not require surgery. She plans to rest before beginning preparations for the 2020 tennis season.