INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (AP) — Naomi Osaka pulled out of the BNP Paribas Open on Wednesday, a move that was expected after she indicated following
The withdrawal was announced by
Osaka is a four-time Grand Slam champion who has been ranked No. 1 and is currently No. 8.
She last played at the U.S. Open, where her title defense ended with a third-round loss to eventual runner-up Leylah Fernandez on Sept. 3.
After that defeat, Osaka said: “I honestly don’t know when I’m going to play my next tennis match.”
Osaka, a 23-year-old who was born in Japan and now is based in the U.S., took time off earlier this season, a mental health break that began when she withdrew from the French Open before her second-round match. She also sat out Wimbledon, then returned for the Tokyo Olympics, where she lit the cauldron during the opening ceremony.
“I feel like for me, recently, when I win, I don’t feel happy, I feel more like a relief. And then when I lose, I feel very sad,” Osaka said at her news conference following the 5-7, 7-6 (2), 6-4 loss to Fernandez at Flushing Meadows. “I don’t think that’s normal.”
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