Osaka unseeded, lacking fitness for French Open

NAOMI Osaka returns to Roland Garros looking to banish the memories of her withdrawal 12 months ago, but hampered by concerns erns over her clay-court t form and fitness.

The former world d No.1 pulled out of last t year’s French Open n ahead of the second d round, citing mental l health issues.

She had been threatened reatened with expulsion and fined by organisers over her refusal to attend press conferences.

Osaka then spent large parts of the remainder of the 2021 season off the court and has struggled this campaign with injury. The Japanese star withdrew from last week’s Italian Open to rest an achilles problem and try to regain full fitness for the grand slam in Paris, where she will be unseeded at a major for the first time since the 2018 Australian Open.

The 24-year-old has slipped to 38th in the WTA rankings going into Sunday’s start of the French Open, but was as low as number 78 in March.

Osaka reached last month’s Miami Open final, her first on the WTA Tour since the 2021 Australian Open, before losing to world No.1 Iga Swiatek.