Osaka said that she hadn't enjoyed her career, which peaked
with a world No.280 ranking three years ago.
"I am retired from playing tennis. It was a journey
which I didn't enjoy ultimately but I'm grateful for all the memories and
support I've gained and received over the years from the sport. I'm moving on
now so you can look forward to new fun projects upcoming in the future,"
she wrote on Instagram.
Osaka played most of her career on the lower-tier ITF
circuit and is currently ranked No.340 in the world. Her peak ranking of 280
came in 2018.
She crossed paths professionally with her famous sister, the
four-time Grand Slam winner, at the 2019 Miami Open. It was their first main
draw together at a WTA event, though wildcard entry Mari lost in the first
round to Whitney Osuigwe, 6-2 6-4.
Naomi Osaka revealed then that Mari had regularly smashed
her at tennis when they were growing up.
"I don't know what happened, maybe finally something
clicked in my head, but for sure she was beating me. In the win-loss record,
she's up by like a million or something."
At that point, Naomi voiced her hopes of playing more events
together.
"For me it would be a dream," she said.
"Because I don't really talk to that many people, and she's the nicer one
in this relationship. It would definitely mean a lot."
Mari Osaka played just one match this year, back in January,
losing in straight sets to Sarah Hamner in the first round of qualifying at an
ITF tournament in Georgia. Naomi Osaka last month won her second Australian
Open title.
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