Naomi Osaka could skip exhibition-like Wimbledon with tournament stripped of ranking points
Naomi Osaka of Japan during the Day two of Roland-Garros 2022
Naomi Osaka has revealed she could skip Wimbledon in the wake of the decision by the ATP and WTA to strip the tournament of ranking points.
Both organisations announced the news on Friday as they reacted to Wimbledon's decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players from competing.
Four-time grand slam winner Osaka has recently dropped to 38th spot in the world rankings and is in-need of ranking points as she looks to avoid dropping further down the list.
The former world number one suffered a first-round defeat to Amanda Anisimova at Roland Garros on Monday, and after the match, she was asked about her involvement at this summer's Wimbledon.
She said: "I would say the decision is kind of affecting my mentality going into grass, like I'm not 100 per cent sure if I'm going to go there.
"I would love to go just to get some experience on the grass court, but at the same time, for me, it's kind of like - I don't want to say pointless, no pun intended - but I'm the type of player that gets motivated by, like, seeing my ranking go up or stuff like that.
"So I think the intention was really good, but the execution is kind of all over the place.
?? No.27 @AnisimovaAmanda is into the next round after beating Naomi Osaka 7-5, 6-4 ?#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/zdvPXaphcs
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 23, 2022
"I'm not sure why, but I feel like if I play Wimbledon without points, it's more like an exhibition. I know this isn't true, right? But my brain just like feels that way. Whenever I think like something is like an exhibition, I just can't go at it 100 per cent.
"I didn't even make my decision yet, but I'm leaning more towards not playing given the current circumstances. But, you know, that might change."
The 24-year-old has been struggling with an Achilles injury which limited her preparation time ahead of the French Open clash with Anisimova.
The 7-5 6-4 defeat ended her hopes of reclaiming the Suzanne-Lenglen cup.
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