WIMBLE-DONE FOR!
Pain in grass as Nadal and Naomi pull out
WIMBLEDON suffered a huge double blow last night as Naomi Osaka and Rafael Nadal both pulled out of the tournament.
The All England Club, already plagued by ticketing problems, was left reeling as world No.2 Osaka dropped out due to personal problems, and two times winner and former world No.1 Nadal withdrew to give his body a rest, with the tournament starting on June 28.
The withdrawal last night of Osaka, 23, last night was a major shock.
Wimbledon had said they would try to help with her media requirements after she pulled out of the French Open citing mental health concerns after refusing to speak to the media.
But Osaka’s team said in a statement last night: “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 Japanese star was fined £10,600 for skipping a press conference in Paris and then pulled out of the WTA Berlin tournament.
Osaka said she had suffered with depression since her infamous 2018 US Open final win over Serena Williams.
Nadal, 35, earlier in the day pulled out of Wimbledon and the Olympics “to prolong my career.”
His withdrawal comes just days after losing in the semi-finals of the French Open at Roland Garros in four sets to Novak Djokovic,
only his third-ever defeat in Paris, where he has been champion 13 times. Nadal last won Wimbledon in 2010 and was an Olympic gold medalist in 2008.
He said: “After listening to my body and discussing it with my team, it is the right decision.
“The goal is to prolong my career and continue to do what makes me happy, to compete at the highest level. The Olympic Games were always a priority.”
In another scare for the Championships, British No.1 Johanna Konta, 30, pulled out of next week’s Viking International at Eastbourne, to protect her troublesome right knee. Konta won her first event on grass at Nottingham last week.