Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from the Stuttgart Open ahead of her semi-final against Anett Kontaveit due to an abdominal injury.
Osaka produced a rousing fightback to beat Donna Vekic in the quarter-finals on Friday, but she will not end the week by featuring in her maiden clay-court final on the WTA Tour.
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Kontaveit will take on either Petra Kvitova or Kiki Bertens in the decider on Sunday.
US Open and Australian Open champion Osaka hit back at her critics after coming from 5-1 down in the final set to defeat Vekic.
Unfortunately @Naomi_Osaka_ has to withdraw from this year‘s Porsche Tennis Grand Prix semifinals.
— Porsche Tennis (@PorscheTennis) April 27, 2019
Therefore, Anett Kontaveit is through to the final.
Get well soon, Naomi! #porschetennis #PTGP19 #centreofattraction pic.twitter.com/MhIvgTpDQR
"I don't understand why people are saying I'm having a bad season if I won [the] Australian Open, right?" said the 21-year-old.
"Last year, I didn't win [the] Australian Open. Sure, I didn't win Indian Wells [this season], but I still thought I did pretty good there and in Miami, and then I'm here now.
"So, sometimes I hear people say, Naomi is kind of struggling there, and I'm like yo...."
She added: "I would be lying if I said it wasn't bothering me. I tend to internalise everything, so it just builds up. I think you could tell because I started getting really antsy on court compared to before. If I would make a mistake, I would react upon it. I feel that people that were really watching could tell.
"I felt I wasn't really enjoying myself. Like for me, when I play my best it’s when I have fun playing tennis and waking up every day with a new challenge. But during those few weeks, I felt like I was waking up wanting to win. I don't think that’s a really good combo."
