Naomi Osaka had a turbulent season until she found her rhythm. Initially, the former world No. 1 and four-time slam winner failed to even clear early rounds in most of the tournaments she entered. But then at the start of the hard court swing, she switched coaches, and something clicked. She regained her lost spirits, reaching the final in Canada before shining at the US Open with a semifinal run — her first after five years. But then her form dipped in Asia, and because bad things come in threes, Osaka now faces an unexpected injury obstacle and its fallout.

At the Japan Open, the world No. 16 was looking to bounce back after her early exit in Wuhan days ago. And with an easy straight-sets victory followed by a hard-fought win in the Round of 16, it looked like Osaka was back in business. Unfortunately, right before her quarterfinal against Jaqueline Cristian, Osaka withdrew from the event after the leg injury she sustained against Suzan Lamens in the previous match. “I couldn’t really move that well,” she initially said. “It’s not good, but I think I’m a fast healer, so it should be OK for my next match.”

But in an unfortunate turn of events, Naomi Osaka has decided to end her 2025 season entirely, sharing the news on her Instagram. In the second-to-last slide of her post, she shared a video of herself saying, “And that’s a wrap on my year. Great year everybody, let’s do it again next year. Maybe a little differently but yeah that was fun. See you in Australia.”

Osaka is not the only WTA star who has cut short her 2025 campaign in advance. The likes of Emma Raducanu, Daria Kasatkina, Elina Svitolina, and Paula Badosa have all taken a similar decision, owing to either fatigue, injury, or lack of proper breaks to recuperate.

As for Osaka, her latest decision to wrap up the calendar sooner than expected may affect her primary goal for 2025. Especially when it comes to the rankings game.

Naomi Osaka’s top 10 mission delayed ahead of 2026 season

Naomi Osaka began the season as World No. 50, aiming to climb up the ladder. And her late resurgence at the Canadian Open, where she made it to the final, and her semifinal in New York did indeed boost her up the rankings, all the way to the top 20 for the first time since 2022. Currently, she sits at No. 16, almost at her goal of the top 10.

She was even backed by 23-time slam queen Serena Williams’ childhood coach to return back to the top 10. Earlier this year, he wrote on X, “She can be back in the top ten by year end.” He further added, “Naomi Osaka has the juice, but her court position has been loose. Her overall tactics have been wrong has to play too much D and hits long. If she has a proven focused voice, then when she launches, she will make a better choice.”

While competing at the Wuhan Open last week, Osaka also highlighted her main objective for the season. “Of course, I want to end the year in the top 10, but I don’t want to stress myself out too much about it.” It’s probably why she has chosen to step back from the court now before resuming action in 2026. As a result, however, she will witness a dip in the rankings due to being absent from upcoming tournaments.

However, Osaka will look to make up for the lost time when she returns in January at the Australian Open. Being a two-time champion there, her sole focus will be to clinch a fifth slam and a place in the top 10 once again. Can she make it happen? Let us know your predictions in the comments below.