Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka has decided to not take part in this year’s Wimbledon championship days after sensationally withdrawing from the French Open midway through the competition.
A statement by Osaka said that World number two Japanese tennis sensation ‘won’t be playing Wimbledon this year’ adding that she planned to take ‘some personal time with friends and family’
“She will be ready for the Olympics and is excited to play in front of her home fans,” Osaka reportedly said in a statement.
Osaka had stunned the world tennis fraternity by withdrawing from this year’s French Open amidst raging controversy over her refusal to interact with the media due to mental health issues. The organisers of the French Open and imposed a fine of $15,000 and threatened to expel her from the competition if she remained adamant about not speaking to the media after her match.
She had said in a statement, “I’m gonna take some time away from the court now, but when the time is right I really want to work with the Tour to discuss ways we can make things better for the players, press and fans. Anyways hope you are all doing well and staying safe, love you guys. I’ll see you when I see you.”
Osaka had said that she suffered from a long bout of depression since winning the US Open in 2018.
On Thursday, tennis legend Rafael Nadal announced that he would not take part in this year’s Wimbledon tennis championship or the Olympic Games in Japan. The 20-time Grand Slam champion Spaniard wrote on Twitter, “Hi all, I have decided not to participate at this year’s Championships at Wimbledon and the Olympic Games in Tokyo. It’s never an easy decision to take but after listening to my body and discuss it with my team I understand that it is the right decision.”
Earlier, Roger Federer too had pulled out of the French Open even though there’s no clarity over his participation in Wimbledon, which starts from 28 June.