Tennis champion Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from the Wimbledon tennis tournament, according to a representative.
“Naomi won’t be playing Wimbledon this year,” Osaka’s representative said in a statement. “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.”
The Tokyo Olympics begin in late July.
The Grand Slam title holder beat Jennifer Brady in the Australian Open in February, cementing her position atop pro women’s tennis in 2021.
June 6, 202104:46
But the title holder then shocked the world when she withdrew from the 2021 French Open, saying that a fine for not speaking to media was adding to her social anxiety.
“The best thing for the tournament, the other players and my well-being is that I withdraw so that everyone can get back to focusing on the tennis going on in Paris,” Osaka said at the time.
In the May 31 announcement posted to social media, Osaka said, “The truth is that I have suffered long bouts of depression since the U.S. Open in 2018 and I have had a really hard time coping with that.”
Osaka had previously announced she would not speak to media during the French Open.
Tennis authorities then said the star “chose not to honour her contractual media obligations” and fined her $15,000 for it.
Men’s tennis star Rafael Nadal also announced Thursday that he is skipping Wimbledon and the Olympics, which he said he decided to do after “listening” to his body.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
