Naomi Osaka withdraws from Wimbledon to spend time with friends and family after pulling out of the French Open in wake of her media boycott, but insists she will be ready for the Olympics
Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from Wimbledon to ‘take some personal time with friends and family’.
Osaka had previously suggested that she would take some time away from the game after battling with mental health issues that forced her to withdraw from the French Open.
However, she has now confirmed her decision to withdraw from Wimbledon, but insists she will be ready for the Olympics.
Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from Wimbledon to take some personal and family time
A statement from her team says: ‘Naomi won’t be playing Wimbledon this year. She is taking 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Osaka will extend her break from professional tennis – having recently withdrawn from the French Open.
Osaka made the decision to step away from the sport after finding herself at the centre of a row at the tournament in France.
The world No.2 decided to skip her media duties throughout the tournament and faced a lot of controversy for doing so.
She was threatened with expulsion from Roland Garros and any future Slams if she continued to boycott the media.
Osaka would also be handed a fine of more than £10,000 if she refused to change her mind.
As a result, the Japanese tennis player decided to remove herself from the situation and withdraw from the tournament.
Nevertheless, Wimbledon chiefs had hoped Osaka would return to the court to feature at Wimbledon.
Tournament director Jamie Baker said: ‘It is absolutely clear that we are here, we are completely open for any discussions when they want to have that.
‘Look, it goes without saying that we want the best players to compete here no matter what.’
However,Osaka has decided against playing at the highly prestigious tournament this summer.
More to follow…