"I still have tears": Naomi Osaka's emotional reaction to injury diagnosis revealed

Former world number one Naomi Osaka has revealed that she had tears in her eyes once she looked at the MRI scan as she was practicing in Los Angeles to take part in upcoming events. The 27-year-old returned to the court earlier this year after staying more than 12 months on the sidelines because of pregnancy.

Osaka’s season came to an end as she was forced to withdraw from the upcoming Billie Jean King Cup because of an injury. The former world number one was quoted in a report where she revealed that she had tears in her eyes while looking at the MRI scan in Los Angeles.

"I've played so many tournaments this year, so it was definitely the toughest decision to not play this and obviously not play BJK,” she said. “I really honestly enjoyed it so much, and I think it helped with my development as a player. I thought I strained my back, but I did an MRI in Beijing, and they said that I bulged a disc in my back and I also raptured abdominal muscles. I was practicing in Los Angeles in order to play here, but then I took another MRI and it said that I still have tears."

Osaka had a decent time on the court in her first season back, winning 20 out of 37 matches and losing 17 in the process. Her most recent appearance came in the China Open, where she was knocked out of the competition in the round of 16 after being forced to retire because of an injury. The score of that contest was 3-6, 6-4. The best performance of the Osaka-born star came in the Libema Open and Qatar Open where she was knocked out after losing in the quarterfinal. In Doha, she lost to Karolina Pliskova whereas in Libema, she came second-best against Bianca Andreescu.