Naomi Osaka has recently shared an update on her health after suffering from a cough during her matches at the 2026 United Cup tournament. The current WTA World No. 16 lost her first match to Greece’s Maria Sakkari and clinched victory against Great Britain’s Katie Swan, who had replaced Emma Raducanu.
Naomi Osaka Gives Health Update Revealing Her Plans for the Australian Open
Osaka made her debut with Team Japan at the fourth edition of the United Cup, a mixed-gender tournament held in Perth and Sydney from January 2 to 11, before the highly anticipated first Grand Slam of the year. The team featured 2019 Junior Wimbledon champion Shintaro Mochizuki, along with Nao Hibino and Yasutaka Uchiyama.
In their first match, Japan faced off against Greece, losing all three of their matches. In the second game, they faced Great Britain, where Osaka won her singles match, with a final score of 7-6(4), 6-1 at the RAC Arena in 1 hour and 53 minutes.
She kept Japan’s hopes alive; however, Billy Harris’ defeat of Mochizuki in singles and Olivia Nicholls and Neal Skupski’s victory over Hibino and Uchiyama in doubles effectively demolished Japan’s chances, leaving them facing elimination.
During her post-match press conference in Perth, Osaka addressed her health, giving an update that she would be fine for the Australian Open, as her coughing had raised doubts, “Yeah, I mean, 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’m just not going to jinx myself. Yeah, I definitely… I don’t know. I don’t know what’s going on with the cough. I think it will be fine for Australian Open.” (via ASAP Text)
However, despite facing elimination, Osaka remained in high spirits, reflecting on her experience, expressing that her ride with her team had been joyful, and that she had created admirable moments with them. She shared, “I think for me it’s definitely really been fun. I’ve always wanted to play and I’ve as wanted to see what it’s about. Just to be here with this team was really incredible.”
The WTA star continued, “Like I feel like I made a lot of really good memories for the start of the year. Honestly, I had a lot of fun cheering on the bench. Like, it was really cool (smiling). Yeah, I just enjoyed it a lot. So I’m thankful.”
Osaka had wrapped up her season with a 35-15 win-loss record, posting notable performances at the US Open, Canadian Open, and other tournaments. She claimed the L’Open 35 de Saint-Malo title and will look forward to clinching the 2026 Australian Open, which she won twice in 2019 and 2021.
