3 Players Who Benefit From Naomi Osaka's Australian Open Withdrawal

Tennis fans were disheartened to hear that four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka had to withdraw from the 2026 Australian Open due to an injury.

"I've had to make the difficult decision to withdraw to address something my body needs attention for after my last match," said Osaka. "I was so excited to keep going, and this run meant the most to me, so having to stop here breaks my heart, but I can't risk doing any further damage, so I can get back on the court."

this was Naomi talking about the ab injury after her R2 win. the issue also forced her to retire from the AO 3R vs Bencic last year.

kinda got the feeling even here she didn’t think she’d be healthy enough to finish the event. pic.twitter.com/T0vjxqNGYw
— Christian's Court (@christianscourt) January 24, 2026

Osaka's statement concluded, "Thanks for all the love and support...I'm so grateful everyone embraced me so much. And thank you to my whole team for always having my back, and the tournament organizers."

Osaka has rapidly returned to her old form over the past year and was playing at a high level in Melbourne. Her decision could potentially reshape the field. While no one wants to see a player go down with an injury, there are three players who benefit the most from not having to face Osaka.

Maddison Inglis

The biggest benefactor of Osaka's bad luck is Maddison Inglis. The Australian qualifier is ranked as the WTA World No. 128 and now finds herself in the fourth round of the Australian Open.

Iga Swiatek

Osaka would have probably beaten Inglis and advanced to face Iga Swiatek in the fourth round. Swiatek's reign of dominance picked up where Osaka's ended earlier in the decade. Yet, they have only faced each other three times, with Swiatek having a 2-1 lead in head-to-head matches.

Elena Rybakina

It is hard to argue that Elena Rybakina would have been anything other than an overwhelming favorite against Osaka in the quarterfinals. However, they have never faced each other on the tour level, and Osaka could have caused problems for the rising star. Still, Rybakina must face Elise Mertens next, who is playing at a high level in Melbourne.

The 2026 Australian Open's main draw kicks off on Sunday, January 18. The action concludes for the women on Saturday, January 31, and the men on Sunday, February 1. Stay locked into Sports Illustrated's Serve On SI for all of your tennis style news from the court and beyond.

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