BAD HOMBURG, Germany — Naomi Osaka’s Wimbledon preparations suffered an untimely setback on Saturday after the former world No. 1 retired from the Bad Homburg Open final with a foot injury, handing Karolina Muchova the grass-court title.
Osaka, seeded fourth, was competing in the first grass-court final of her career but was unable to complete the match after falling behind 6-1, 1-0 against the Czech player.
The Japanese star had already received a medical timeout during the opening set before signaling that she could no longer continue early in the second. She walked to the net to congratulate Muchova before also shaking hands with the chair umpire, bringing the final to an abrupt conclusion.
Addressing spectators during the trophy ceremony, Osaka apologized for being unable to finish the championship match while expressing gratitude for the support she received throughout the week.
“I just want to say thank you to everyone who came to watch the match,” Osaka said. “I apologise for not being able to finish, but this atmosphere was incredible the whole week.”
The retirement raises fresh questions about Osaka’s fitness only two days before Wimbledon begins at the All England Club.
The four-time Grand Slam singles champion has never advanced beyond the third round at Wimbledon despite her success on hard courts, and she will arrive in London hoping the injury does not affect her campaign.
Osaka is seeded 14th for this year’s tournament and is scheduled to face France’s Elsa Jacquemot in the opening round.
For Muchova, the victory marked another milestone in an injury-interrupted career.
The world No. 11 captured her third WTA singles title and her first on grass after reaching nine tour-level finals. The championship also provides a timely confidence boost heading into Wimbledon, where she will be among the dangerous unseeded threats capable of challenging the tournament favorites.
Tournament organizers moved the final forward by two and a half hours to an 11 a.m. local start in an effort to avoid the most intense afternoon temperatures as much of Europe continues to experience exceptionally hot weather, with several countries enduring near-record or record-breaking heat.
