World Number 2 Naomi Osaka becomes the second significant figure to opt out of Wimbledon 2021 as she withdraws citing the need to spend time with her friends and family
World number 2 Naomi Osaka has decided not to play in the Wimbledon Championship this year. Naomi Osaka’s withdrawal comes a day after Rafael Nadal opted out of the tournament to recover from a draining 2021 Roland Garros. Osaka’s team took to its official Twitter handle to announce the news.
Naomi Osaka Withdraws From French Open 2021
According to the announcement by her team, the Japanese tennis star wants to spend time with her friends and family. Nevertheless, Osaka intends to participate in the Olympics this year, set to occur in Japan. The 23-year old had captured the headlines midway through the French Open by revealing her decision to not do press conferences.
A bitter fallout with the organizers saw her pulling out of the competition after the first round. Naomi Osaka had already invited doubts about her participation by deciding not to partake in the 2021 Berlin Open, a tune-up event for the Wimbledon. The announcement from her team is a due confirmation of the speculation over the last couple of weeks.
BREAKING: Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from Wimbledon.
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."
— Stuart Fraser (@stu_fraser) June 17, 2021
Wimbledon organizers show support towards Naomi Osaka before her withdrawal
Naomi Osaka faced severe backlash from the four grand slams for her decision to skip press conferences to protect her mental health. The Japanese had been warned of copping sanctions from future slam events if she would not fulfil her media obligations. But Sally Bolton, all-England Club CEO, revealed they are open to conversations about any issue.
“It is really important that every and any player knows that our door is open at any time, they can have a conversation with us about any issues and that door is always open,” Bolton told British Daily before Osaka withdrew from French Open.
Sally Bolton continued saying that they strive to improve themselves in handling sensitive situations. They will keep working with other Slams and with WTA and ATP as well to safeguard any player’s interests.
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