Osaka frustrated by her withdrawal: "It was inevitable".

Naomi Osaka was forced to retire in the first set against Belinda Bencic at the Australian Open, just as she was beginning to build momentum after wins over Caroline Garcia and Karolina Muchova in the previous two rounds.

As in her final loss in Auckland, the Japanese player was forced to cut short her fortnight in Melbourne, and spoke of her disappointment in a press conference: "It was a difficult thing to deal with because my draw was quite difficult.

But we did everything we could. I went to therapy every day and did it into the night. It was a very long day for me.

After my last match (2nd round against Muchova), it got worse. It was, I suppose, something inevitable. But the competitor in me wanted to go all the way.

If I'd been able to serve, I could have potentially won and gone further in the tournament. I've always been prone to this type of injury, I think because of the explosiveness of my serve.

It also happened to me in the final in Auckland, and it sucks. I also think I could have won the tournament, my first tournament win since coming back.

I just hope I can be ready for Indian Wells and Miami."