Osaka Withdraws From Wimbledon Due To Injury
Former World No.1 Naomi Osaka on Saturday pulled out of Wimbledon due to Achilles injury.
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“My Achilles still isn’t right so I’ll see you next time,” the four-time Grand Slam winner posted on Twitter.
Osaka, 24, was already considering not playing over the ATP and WTA tours decision to strip Wimbledon of ranking points after the All England Club banned Russian and Belarusian players in response to the invasion of Ukraine.
Osaka’s tweet, although not mentioning Wimbledon specifically, was accompanied by a photo of herself on a grass court, and an emoji of a blade of grass.
The Japanese player first suffered the Achilles problem in her opening match in Madrid in May, the injury forcing her to pull out of the following Italian Open.
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This month she posted a video of a training exercise on social media accompanied by the caption; “Here’s me running on a underwater treadmill because my Achilles is being stubborn still I must be aging or something.”
Osaka’s name had appeared on the singles entry list for Wimbledon when it was released last week, but she has not featured in any of the grass-court warm-up events.
‘The decision (on ranking points) is affecting my mentality going into grass,’ she said last month. ‘I’m not 100 per cent sure if I’m going to go.
Meanwhile…
In her fifth decade, Serena Williams is still getting others to dance to her tune, with Wimbledon forced to bring forward their wildcard announcements to Tuesday.
Originally due on Thursday, the initial list was rushed out after the 40-year-old American announced on social media that she would be returning to the All England Club.
‘SW and SW19. It’s a date. See you there,’ posted Williams.
Williams has not played competitive tennis since she was reduced to tears having retired hurt at Wimbledon in 2021, just six games into a first round match with Aliaksandra Sasnovich.
She was the most significant of six women and seven men granted privileged entries to the singles, which guarantees £50,000 minimum to those in the main draw.
Read Also: Will Serena Ever Equal Margaret Court’s Record?
It is a boost to a tournament shorn of several stars from Russia and Belarus, and possibly Rafael Nadal.
How much of a force Williams will be is another matter. Her only warm-up will be next week at Eastbourne, where she is to play doubles with Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur.
Williams has not played since limping out of Wimbledon last year with a leg injury, and is ranked a humble 1,208.
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