{"id":233864,"date":"2025-09-17T13:00:27","date_gmt":"2025-09-17T13:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/233864\/"},"modified":"2025-09-17T13:00:27","modified_gmt":"2025-09-17T13:00:27","slug":"the-reason-why-naomi-osaka-chose-not-to-compete-at-the-billie-jean-king-cup-finals-with-japan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/233864\/","title":{"rendered":"The reason why Naomi Osaka chose not to compete at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals with Japan"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Naomi Osaka won\u2019t be joining her Japanese teammates in Shenzhen, China, for the 2025 Billie Jean King Cup Finals.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Following her semifinal defeat at the US Open, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thetennisgazette.com\/news\/naomi-osaka-has-already-made-a-decision-about-her-next-tournament-after-the-us-open\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Osaka withdrew from the Billie Jean King Cup Finals<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Team Japan will now be led by world number 92 Moyuka Uchijima, who has yet to win a singles title on the WTA Tour.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"632\" loading=\"lazy\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-2211313396-1024x632.jpg\" alt=\"Moyuka Uchijima in action at the 2025 Madrid Open\" class=\"wp-image-85432\" \/>Photo by Robert Prange\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s no doubt that Osaka will be sorely missed in Shenzhen, as the team could have used a player of the four-time Grand Slam winner\u2019s experience at the finals.<\/p>\n<p>Japan\u2019s Billie Jean King Cup captain Ai Sugiyama has now revealed why Osaka isn\u2019t competing at this year\u2019s tournament.<\/p>\n<p>Naomi Osaka is injured but \u2018really wanted to compete\u2019 at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals<\/p>\n<p>During her pre-tournament press conference, Sugiyama had this to say about the former world number one.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cActually, she [Naomi Osaka] got injured,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe really wanted to come here to compete. But, she has to recover from the injury first.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"689\" loading=\"lazy\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-2233943117-1-1024x689.jpg\" alt=\"Naomi Osaka looks on during her semifinal match with Amanda Anisimova at the 2025 US Open\" class=\"wp-image-130150\" \/>Photo by Elsa\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>Sugiyama then revealed whether she\u2019d spoken to Osaka since she withdrew from the event.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI hope she\u2019s cheering for us,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI haven\u2019t talked to her much. She was too disappointed because she got injured.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut I\u2019m sure she\u2019s cheering for us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The 50-year-old proceeded to comment on Osaka\u2019s 2025 campaign, highlighting the biggest improvement she\u2019s made recently.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m happy to see her really doing well. Runner-up in Montreal, semis in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thetennisgazette.com\/tag\/us-open\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">US Open<\/a>. The most important thing, she\u2019s enjoying playing again. She\u2019s more relaxed. Seems like she\u2019s relieved from all the pressure, I think,\u201d said Sugiyama.<\/p>\n<p>Naomi Osaka\u2019s best results in 2025<\/p>\n<ul class=\"inline-links multi\">\n<li>(January) \u2013 ASB Classic \u2013 Lost in F to Clara Tauson<\/li>\n<li>(May) \u2013 WTA 125 Saint-Malo \u2013 Won<\/li>\n<li>(August) \u2013 Canadian Open \u2013 Lost in F to Victoria Mboko<\/li>\n<li>(September) \u2013 US Open \u2013 Lost in SF to Amanda Anisimova<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cBeing a mother, her priority maybe changed a little bit even before she was, you know, dealing with the pressure. Now she\u2019s more relaxed on court.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe\u2019s performing really well. I\u2019m happy to see her really doing well.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sugiyama was joined in her praise of Osaka by Japanese number three, Uchijima.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was watching her on TV since I was a kid. Yeah, she inspired us a lot, not only me, I think everybody sitting here,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are really happy to see she\u2019s back at her level, giving us more motivation to kind of catch up with her, play in the same tournaments.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNow she\u2019s injured a bit, so I hope she recovers well. Good luck to her for the rest of the Asian swing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Osaka is currently scheduled to return to WTA Tour action at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thetennisgazette.com\/tag\/china-open\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">China Open<\/a>, which begins next week.<\/p>\n<p>Naomi Osaka can move into WTA Finals contention with China Open win<\/p>\n<p>The Japanese star hasn\u2019t competed at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thetennisgazette.com\/tag\/wta-finals\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">WTA Finals<\/a> since 2019, when she failed to advance past the group stage for the second year in a row.<\/p>\n<p>Thanks to her efforts in Montreal and New York, Osaka is in with an outside chance of qualifying for this year\u2019s finals.<\/p>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Rank<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>Name<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>Country<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>Points<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>Status<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>1<\/td>\n<td>Aryna Sabalenka<\/td>\n<td>Belarus<\/td>\n<td>9,610<\/td>\n<td>Qualified (Won Grand Slam\/Points)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>2<\/td>\n<td>Iga Swiatek<\/td>\n<td>Poland<\/td>\n<td>7,534<\/td>\n<td>Qualified (Won Grand Slam\/Points)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>3<\/td>\n<td>Coco Gauff<\/td>\n<td>USA<\/td>\n<td>5,184<\/td>\n<td>Qualified (Won Grand Slam)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>4<\/td>\n<td>Amanda Anisimova<\/td>\n<td>USA<\/td>\n<td>4,908<\/td>\n<td>Currently qualifying<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>5<\/td>\n<td>Madison Keys<\/td>\n<td>USA<\/td>\n<td>4,450<\/td>\n<td>Qualified (Won Grand Slam)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>6<\/td>\n<td>Jessica Pegula<\/td>\n<td>USA<\/td>\n<td>4,209<\/td>\n<td>Currently qualifying<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>7<\/td>\n<td>Mirra Andreeva<\/td>\n<td>Russia<\/td>\n<td>4,189<\/td>\n<td>Currently qualifying<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>8<\/td>\n<td>Elena Rybakina<\/td>\n<td>Kazakhstan<\/td>\n<td>3,751<\/td>\n<td>Currently qualifying<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>9<\/td>\n<td>Jasmine Paolini<\/td>\n<td>Italy<\/td>\n<td>3,526<\/td>\n<td>Not currently qualifying<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>10<\/td>\n<td>Ekaterina Alexandrova<\/td>\n<td>Russia<\/td>\n<td>2,871<\/td>\n<td>Not currently qualifying<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>11<\/td>\n<td>Elina Svitolina<\/td>\n<td>Ukraine<\/td>\n<td>2,606<\/td>\n<td>Not currently qualifying<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>12<\/td>\n<td>Clara Tauson<\/td>\n<td>Denmark<\/td>\n<td>2,553<\/td>\n<td>Not currently qualifying<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>13<\/td>\n<td>Emma Navarro<\/td>\n<td>USA<\/td>\n<td>2,310<\/td>\n<td>Not currently qualifying<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>14<\/td>\n<td>Naomi Osaka<\/td>\n<td>Japan<\/td>\n<td>2,244<\/td>\n<td>Not currently qualifying<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>15<\/td>\n<td>Belinda Bencic<\/td>\n<td>Switzerland<\/td>\n<td>2,229<\/td>\n<td>Not currently qualifying<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<p>Top 15 players in the Live WTA Race<\/p>\n<p>If Osaka were to add another 1,000 points to her tally with a win in China, she\u2019d likely jump into the top ten, leaving her on the brink of qualification.<\/p>\n<p>The reality is, making it to Riyadh may be a step too far for Osaka in 2025, although the fact she is even in the conversation is a credit to the work she\u2019s put in over the past few months.<\/p>\n<p>When <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thetennisgazette.com\/news\/naomi-osaka-releases-statement-after-ending-her-coaching-partnership-with-patrick-mouratoglou\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Osaka split with Patrick Mouratoglou<\/a> after the grass-court season, things weren\u2019t looking great for the four-time major winner, but just months later, her future looks bright once again.<\/p>\n<p>Only time will tell if Osaka can pick up the China Open title in 2025, but you certainly won\u2019t want to miss any of the action when the tournament begins on Wednesday, September 24.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Naomi Osaka won\u2019t be joining her Japanese teammates in Shenzhen, China, for the 2025 Billie Jean King Cup&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":233865,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[48],"tags":[117763,6115,62,1464,67,132,68,2212],"class_list":{"0":"post-233864","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tennis","8":"tag-billie-jean-king-cup","9":"tag-naomi-osaka","10":"tag-sports","11":"tag-tennis","12":"tag-united-states","13":"tag-unitedstates","14":"tag-us","15":"tag-wta"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115219767562844798","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/233864","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=233864"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/233864\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/233865"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=233864"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=233864"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=233864"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}