German Open grass-court tournament confirms Naomi Osaka won’t take part next week following the 23-year-old’s withdrawal from the French Open due to mental health concerns… with Wimbledon just three weeks away
- The tournament organisers wished Naomi Osaka the best for the rest of 2021
- The German Open starts on 14 June – just two weeks before Wimbledon
- Osaka withdrew from the French Open last week due to mental health concerns
- Her decision came after she had chosen not to speak to the media in Paris
- The 23-year-old’s stance led to her being fined after her first-round victory
- Osaka was praised by Novak Djokovic for speaking about her mental health
Naomi Osaka has pulled out of the upcoming German Open, which will kick off just two weeks before the start of Wimbledon.
The world No 2 and four-time Grand Slam winner dropped out of the French Open at the second-round stage last week due to mental health concerns having chosen not to speak to the press during the tournament.
Her latest decision not to play in the Berlin tournament, which begins on Monday 14 June, casts some doubt on her participation at the All England Club.
Naomi Osaka will not appear at a grass-court event in Berlin just two weeks before Wimbledon
The 23-year-old pulled out of the French Open after choosing not to speak to the world’s media
She was fined £10,800 before deciding to pull out of the Paris tournament in the second round
In a statement, the organisers of the event in the German capital said: ‘Unfortunately, we have also received notification that Naomi Osaka cannot start in Berlin.
‘After consulting her management, she will take a break. We wish her all the best for the rest of the season and hope to see her next year.’
Following her decision to withdraw from Roland Garros, Osaka revealed that she had suffered bouts of depression since her maiden major title win in 2018 at the US Open and received praise for speaking out about her struggles from Andy Murray’s mother Judy and men’s world No 1 Novak Djokovic.
Osaka later revealed that she has suffered with depression since her first major win in 2018
Osaka’s openness about her mental health drew praise from Judy Murray and Novak Djokovic
Osaka’s media boycott stance at the Paris Grand Slam was met with a fierce response from the tournament organisers, who fined the 23-year-old £10,800 after she failed to appear for her post-match interview following victory over Patricia Maria Tig, although sleep app Calm have pledged to cover the fine she incurred.
Since then however, both global governing body the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) have promised to review the impact of the press on players’ mental health, although Wimbledon has said that such changes will take time and doesn’t appear to be planning any changes to the standard practice of players being interviewed after matches, win or lose.
Wimbledon has the Grand Slam where Osaka has arguably struggled the most, with her best appearances at SW19 being third-round runs in 2017 and 2018.