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Naomi Osaka withdraws from Wimbledon, weeks after she pulled out of the French Open citing her struggle with depression and anxiety. Her agent Stuart Duguid said in an email to AFP, “Noami 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.”
On Wednesday, Wimbledon organisers said four-time Grand Slam champion Osaka was expected to take part in the championships, which is starting from June 28. England Club chief executive Sally Bolton said, “At this point, she’s entered into the championships and we haven’t received confirmation that she won’t complete.”
Osaka is one of the most exciting talents to emerge in women’s tennis in recent years and had already won four Grand Slam titles– the 2018 and 2020 US Opens and the 2019 and 2021 Australian Opens. She startled the tennis world on the eve of the French Open by announcing she would not participate in tournament press conferences.
She later revealed that mental health issues were behind the decision as she pulled out of the tournament saying she did not want to get distracted. She further explained, “The truth is that I have suffered long bouts of depression since the US Open in 2018 and I have had a really hard time coping with that.”