With Wimbledon quickly nearing, Naomi Osaka has made a crucial decision on her status for the prestigious tournament. Due to an Achilles injury, Osaka will not suit up at the All-England club after losing in the first round of the French Open, via BBC Sport.
Just over a week ago, Osaka posted this video on social media, making it clear she was still in discomfort with the Achilles:
Here’s me running on a underwater treadmill because my Achilles is being stubborn still 😬 I must be aging or something. pic.twitter.com/vjEIvnxZxX
— NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) June 9, 2022
Between the setback and Wimbledon's decision to strip ranking points from the Major, Osaka wasn't interested in playing. The Japanese national hasn't competed in a tournament since Roland Garros and because of her decision to take mental health breaks from the sport last year, she's dropped all the way down to No. 43 in the world rankings.
The WTA and ATP decided to punish Wimbledon for banning Russian and Belarusian players from competing in the tournament, saying that no ranking points will be given this time around. Osaka voiced her displeasure over that recently:
“I feel like if I play Wimbledon without points, it's more like an exhibition. I know this isn't true, right? But my brain just like feels that way.
“I would love to go, just to get some experience on the grass court, but at the same time I'm the type of player that gets motivated by seeing my ranking go up.”
Naomi Osaka is a four-time Grand Slam champion, winning the US Open and Australian Open on two occasions each. But, she's never progressed past the third round at Wimbledon.
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