Osaka Battles Illness in United Cup Debut

In the echoing confines of Perth’s RAC Arena, four-time Grand Slam singles champion Naomi Osaka launched Japan’s United Cup campaign with visible strain, her groundstrokes carrying less bite than the offseason promised. The indoor hard courts, slick under the lights, amplified every cough as she traded rallies with Greece’s Maria Sakkari, the score tilting 6-4, 6-2 in the Greek’s favor. Holiday illness, likely from her two-year-old daughter Shai, had Osaka operating far from her peak, turning a potential tune-up into a gritty test of resolve.

“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 sucks, because I had a really good offseason so I thought I was going to do really well here.”

Illness disrupts aggressive patterns

Osaka’s usual 1–2 punch—serve followed by a heavy topspin forehand—lacked its explosive edge, allowing Sakkari to retrieve deep crosscourts and counter with flat backhands that pinned her back. Fatigue showed in slower footwork, her inside-out attempts floating short and inviting Sakkari’s down-the-line passes. The first set dragged into a baseline grind, where Osaka’s unforced errors mounted, her coughs punctuating the crowd’s murmurs during changeovers.

She pushed for variety with slice approaches to disrupt rhythm, but the bug’s toll muted her depth, letting Sakkari loop high balls and extend points on the quicker surface. Last year’s US Open semifinals had built momentum, yet this matchup exposed how even a runny nose alters setup and recovery, forcing Osaka into defensive lobs rather than dictating with power. The Perth humidity clung, mirroring the sticky feel of rallies that refused to break her way.

Recovery eyes Melbourne’s hard courts

Osaka insists she’s nearing the end of this ordeal, her voice steady despite the lingering symptoms. “I’m at the tail end of that but still not amazing,” she added. “I’m just trying to get better every day. I had a cough, a runny nose, like all that nasty stuff, so hopefully it goes away before the Australian Open.”

The first major kicks off in Melbourne on January 18, where the grippier courts suit her flat groundstrokes in longer exchanges, provided she regains full stamina. Motherhood adds layers to her prep, balancing family pulls with the tour’s demands, but her history of bouncing back—from breaks to majors—fuels quiet confidence. Teammates draw on her presence, even in defeat, as Japan absorbs the 6-3, 6-4 loss from Stefanos Tsitsipas to Shintaro Mochizuki, sealing Greece’s tie win.

Tsitsipas’s composed inside-out forehands overwhelmed Mochizuki’s defense, the crowd’s cheers shifting with Japan’s resolve intact. For Osaka, this early snag sharpens focus on tactical tweaks, like sharper returns to pressure second serves and shorter points to conserve energy. As symptoms fade, her path to seeded status in Melbourne clarifies, the season’s arc bending toward a resurgence where illness becomes just a footnote.