Naomi Osaka plans to skip Wimbledon, weeks after withdrawing from French Open
After she withdrew from the French Open on May 31, news broke on Thursday that Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from Wimbledon as well, according to a statement released by her agent Stuart Duguid.
This comes less than three weeks after Osaka pulled out of the French Open before the second round when her decision to not speak to the media, in an effort to protect her mental health, resulted in a $15,000 fine and possible future repercussions.
On May 31, Osaka revealed that she had been dealing with social anxiety and bouts of depression since bursting onto the scene after winning the first of her now-four Grand Slam titles at the US Open in 2018.
The news also comes mere hours after All England Club chief executive Sally Bolton told BBC Radio 4's Today Programme on Thursday that Wimbledon organizers have reached out to Naomi Osaka, among other players, about the tournament's media arrangements this year.
"We have started a consultation," Bolton said. "Of course, that consultation needs to include not just the players, but the media and all of those engaged in that space. We are always striving to do things better."
On June 7, the 23-year-old Osaka pulled out of the Berlin WTA 5000 tournament – a pre-Wimbledon event – which began on Monday, raising speculation that her participation in Wimbledon, which begins on June 28, was in jeopardy.
Despite her most recent withdrawal, Osaka says she is focused on playing in the Olympics, which are set to begin on July 24.
Osaka is currently the biggest attraction in women's tennis. She won the 2020 US Open and the 2021 Australian Open, and is riding a 15-match Grand Slam winning streak. She is a four-time Grand Slam champion, having has won both the Australian Open and the US Open twice.
Here's how the sports world reacted to the news.
Osaka was one of two superstars to withdraw their name from Wimbledon on Thursday, as 20-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal also took his name out of the hat, a decision he announced – and explained – via a lengthy message on Twitter.
Nadal is coming off a disappointing result – by his standards – at Roland Garros, where he lost in four sets to eventual 2021 French Open champion Novak Djokovic, who now has 19 Grand Slams.
It was Nadal's third loss all-time at the French Open, and Djokovic is hot on the heels of both Nadal and Roger Federer for the Grand Slam titles record, trailing them but only one Grand Slam.
