Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka arrived in Perth expecting to get a boost. However, she lost 6-4, 6-2 to Greece's Maria Sakkari, and it signals a tough road ahead as she prepares for the Australian Open.

The 4-time grand slam champion looked visibly ill, coughing between and during points. Unable to find her usual composure, she admitted to not playing her best.

"I have been dealing with some health stuff, so I’m kind of just happy to be out here right now,” Osaka said.

“It’s not serious, but I’m not operating at the percent that I want to be operating at which kind of s***, because I had a really good offseason, so I thought I was going to do really well here," she added.

The flu most likely came from home, after she spent the holidays with her 2-year-old daughter, Shai.

A runny nose and cough might seem minor, but they can hinder even elite athletes competing for a projected world No. 16 seed at the AO.

An off-court change challenges Naomi Osaka

Right before the New Year, she announced that she was leaving Evolve, the agency she co-founded with longtime agent Stuart Duguid in 2022.

Naomi Osaka took to social media to announce that while she had a "great run" with Evolve, she'll be moving on. Despite reports indicating that longtime manager, Alex Boston, will transfer to IMG with her, Osaka didn't confirm anything.

However, despite challenges, Naomi Osaka always rises to the occasion. She reached the 2025 US Open semi-finals, just 2 years after giving birth. Osaka nearly made it to the finals, losing a thrilling three-set match to Amanda Anisimova (6-7, 7-6, 6-3).

As the "Happy Slam" begins on January 18, 2026, Osaka doesn't really have a lot of time to recover if she wants to compete at her best.

Thankfully, she also spoke about feeling better. "I definitely do feel better every day. But it’s ironic, literally every time someone asks me, I say yes, then I start coughing... I think it will be fine for Australian Open," added the tennis icon.

Written by

Fatema Kapasi

Edited by

Sagnik Bagchi