The Japanese female tennis ace has decided to skip the upcoming Wimbledon but she hints that she will take part in this year's Summer Olympics in her native country of Japan.
- June 18, 2021
AceShowbiz - Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from the Wimbledon tournament to spend time with her loved ones as she prepares for the 2021 Summer Olympics.
Weeks after withdrawing from the French Open after she was fined for refusing to take part in event press conferences, citing mental health concerns, the world number two has announced she will not play in the next Grand Slam, which begins in London on 28 June (21).
A statement released by her representative on Thursday (17Jun21) reads, "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."
The Olympics, postponed from last year (20), are set to begin in Tokyo on 23 July.
The news of Osaka's Wimbledon absence comes hours after Spain's Rafael Nadal, the men's world number three, also pulled out of plans to play at the All England Club event and the Olympics to give his body a rest.
Taking to Twitter on Thursday morning, the beloved sportsman admitted the two-week break between the French Open, at which he was defeated in the semifinals by Novak Djokovic, and the start of Wimbledon, wasn't enough time for him to recuperate.
"It's never an easy decision to take but after listening to my body and discuss it with my team I understand that it is the right decision," he wrote.
"The goal is to prolong my career and continue to do what makes me happy, that is to compete at the highest level and keep fighting for those professional and personal goals at the maximum level of competition (sic)."
