Naomi Osaka has got people excited after her recent return to form at the Canadian Open and the US Open.
Osaka parted ways with Patrick Mouratoglou after Wimbledon this year, before hiring Iga Swiatek’s former coach Tomasz Wiktorowski.
Since changing her setup, Osaka has reached the Canadian Open final and the semifinals of the US Open.
After Osaka lost to Amanda Anisimova in the US Open semifinals, she has now made a decision about her next tournament.
Photo by Robert Prange/Getty ImagesNaomi Osaka withdraws from the Billie Jean King Cup Finals
Osaka was scheduled to represent Japan at the upcoming Billie Jean King (BJK) Cup Finals in Shenzhen, China, with their upcoming tie against Great Britain.
British number one Emma Raducanu had already withdrawn from the event, and now Osaka has followed suit.
Osaka has now been replaced by world number 202 Nao Hibino, with world number 93 Moyuka Uchijima leading the Japanese lineup.
She is not the only high-profile withdrawal from the BJK Cup Finals, with top 10 players Qinwen Zheng and Madison Keys also pulling out.
Zheng has been struggling with an elbow injury in recent months, which she underwent surgery on and forced her to withdraw from the US Open.
It appears that the Chinese number one has been unable to recover from this in time, and she has now been replaced by Xiyu Wang.
McCartney Kessler has been brought in to the USA team to replace Australian Open champion Keys.
The BJK Cup Finals will get underway on Tuesday, September 16, with the quarterfinal tie between defending champions Italy and hosts China.
What is next for Naomi Osaka after her Billie Jean King Cup Finals withdrawal?
Although Osaka is confirmed not to be playing in Shenzhen anymore, she is still expected to head to Asia for upcoming WTA tournaments.
This will begin at the China Open, where former champion Osaka retired against Coco Gauff last year due to a back injury.
Osaka ended her season after this match last year, meaning that she has an opportunity to gain ranking points in the latter stages of this season.
While there are two WTA 1000 tournaments taking place in Beijing and Wuhan, it appears unlikely that Osaka will be able to gain enough points in time to qualify for the WTA Finals.
Despite this, Osaka is now at her highest ranking since January 2023, and will now look to move back towards the top 10 in the WTA rankings ahead of the 2026 season.