WATCH: Naomi Osaka tries her hand at pickleball in Japan, hilariously sends her first shot into the net

Naomi Osaka was recently seen trying her hand at pickleball in Japan. During her game, she hilariously sent her first shot straight into the net.

After giving birth to her daughter Shai in July 2023, Osaka made her comeback to the court this year at the 2024 Brisbane International. Since returning to professional tennis, the Japanese had to work hard to regain her form.

The former World No. 1's standout performances this season include reaching the quarterfinals at the Qatar Open, where she was defeated by Karolina Pliskova and also making it to the last eight at the Libema Open, where she lost to eventual runner-up Bianca Andreescu.

Most recently, Naomi Osaka competed at the 2024 China Open, where she defeated Lucia Bronzetti, 21st seed Yulia Putintseva, and Katie Volynets in the first three rounds.

However, the four-time Grand Slam champion had to retire from her match against fourth seed Coco Gauff in the fourth round due to a lower back injury. As a result, she also had to withdraw from the 2024 Toray Pan Pacific Open.

After her withdrawal from the WTA 1000 hard court tournament in Beijing, Naomi Osaka traveled to Japan. While there, she was spotted trying her hand at pickleball with her first shot landing in the net.

Watch the video here :

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Naomi Osaka withdraws from Billie Jean King Cup Finals 2024 due to injury

Naomi Osaka at the 2024 China Open [Source: Getty]

Naomi Osaka was set to represent Japan at the 2024 Billie Jean King Cup Finals, which is scheduled to take place from November 13 to November 20, 2024, at the Palacio de Deportes Jose Maria Martin Carpena Arena in Malaga, Spain.

However, Osaka had to withdraw from the tournament due to a lower back injury. This injury also led to her retirement from a fourth-round match against Coco Gauff at the China Open and caused her to pull out of the upcoming Toray Pan Pacific Open.

Recently, Naomi Osaka spoke to some reporters in Tokyo and expressed her disappointment at having to withdraw from the Billie Jean King Cup Finals. She mentioned that it was a tough decision as she had always enjoyed participating in the tournament.

The former World No. 1 also credited the Billie Jean King Cup with aiding in her development as a player

"I've played so many tournaments this year, so it was definitely the toughest decision to not play this and obviously not play BJK. I really honestly enjoyed it so much, and I think it helped with my development as a player," Osaka said [as quoted by Kyodo News].

Had Osaka been able to compete in the 2024 Billie Jean King Cup Finals, she would have faced Romania's Jaqueline Cristian in a singles match.