Tomorrow is the first day of February, which means it is time for the Middle East Swing on the WTA Tour. The Abu Dhabi Open is the first of three notable tournaments that kicks off on February 3. Unfortunately, it just lost one of its biggest stars.

Naomi Osaka has reportedly pulled out of the Abu Dhabi Open after she failed to make the main draw cut at the event. Making the trip to the WTA 500 tournament as an alternate may not have been the most practical decision for the 27-year-old.

The four-time Grand Slam champion did not qualify for the main draw, so she needed to either compete in the qualifying rounds or hope to enter the main draw due to player withdrawals.

This is disappointing news for tennis fans as Osaka has played in the tournament before. Last season, she lost to Danielle Collins in the first round in Abu Dhabi.

More: Naomi Osaka explained what is happening with her recurring abdominal injury.

However, Osaka has looked much stronger on the court this year. She is 6-2 with her only losses occurring due to injuries forcing her to retire in the ASB Classic final and Australian Open third round.

Earlier this week, Osaka jumped eight spots in the latest WTA Rankings to hit the World No. 42 spot. It is a far cy for the former top-ranked player in the world, but she is making progress after missing significant time due to injuries and child birth.

There is not a clear timeline for when Osaka will return. She suffered another abdominal injury in Melbourne last week and will need to be as strategic as possible to optimize her health during the marathon WTA season.

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