BAD HOMBURG, Germany — Naomi Osaka’s Wimbledon preparations suffered a setback when she withdrew from Saturday’s Bad Homburg final at the start of the second set with a foot injury.
The fourth-seeded Japanese player withdrew from her first grass-court final after trailing Karolina Muchova (Czech Republic) 6-1, 1-0.
Osaka took a medical timeout in the first set. After gesturing that she could not continue, she walked over to shake Muchova and the referee’s hands.
“I want to thank everyone who came to watch the game,” Osaka told the crowd at the trophy ceremony. “I apologize for not being able to talk until the end, but the atmosphere throughout the week has been incredible.”
Osaka, 28, a four-time Grand Slam champion, has never made it past the third round at Wimbledon, which begins on Monday.
The 14th seed will face Elsa Jacquemo in the first round.
