It has happened again. Barely two weeks after pulling out of the French Open, 23 year old Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from the Berlin WTA 5000 tournament. The grass tournament which is a tune-up to Wimbledon is set to begin on the 14 June, two weeks before Wimbledon gets underway on the 28th.
This development was announced in a statement released by the organizers of the Berlin event.
“We have received notification Naomi Osaka cannot start in Berlin. After consulting her management, she will take a break,” it read.
So far, nothing has changed about Osaka’s participation in Wimbledon. It is left to see how events will unfold before the 28th of June.
These series of events can be traced back to Naomi’s declaration that she won’t be participating in press addresses during the French Open. This was followed by a $15,000 fine by the Tennis governing bodies, and ultimately Naomi’s voluntary withdrawal from the tournament, to “focus” on her mental health.
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There have been mixed reactions to this fiasco from the public. While some are in support of her actions and cheering her on, there are those who believe she is being dramatic, as the sport which made her a superstar has its rules and those rules must be adhered to.
We hope to see her back on the courts doing what she does best as soon as she feels like she’s up for it.
Too bad