Osaka may skip Wimbledon after ban on ranking points
THE spectre of Wimbledon having a weakened field was further raised when Naomi Osaka yesterday hinted she may skip it for the second year running. After being knocked out in the first round of Roland Garros by Amanda Anisimova of the US, the four-time Grand Slam champion became the biggest name to suggest the lack of ranking points could dissuade her from returning to the grass. The loss of the Japanese star, a potential consequence of the ban on players from Belarus and Russia, would be a big blow with her following in Far Eastern markets. Osaka much prefers other surfaces to grass and as the world’s highestearning female athlete she hardly needs the prize money. She fits the profile of a player who might prefer to rest up ahead of the hard-court swing in the US. ‘The decision (on ranking points) is affecting my mentality going into grass,’ she said. ‘I’m not 100 per cent sure if I’m going to go. I would love to go just to get some experience on the grass court, but at the same time, it’s like — I don’t want to say pointless, no pun intended — but I’m the type of player that gets motivated by seeing my ranking go up. ‘I feel like if I play Wimbledon without points, it’s more like an exhibition. I know this isn’t true, but my brain just feels that way. When I think something is like an exhibition, I just can’t go at it 100 per cent. ‘I didn’t make my decision yet, but I’m leaning more towards not playing given the circumstances, but that might change.’ There had been similar words from John Isner, a men’s semi-finalist in 2018. He expects a strong field to materialise but pointed out there may be players who will not prepare as thoroughly as they would normally. Isner said: ‘Right now, I’m not that stoked about Wimbledon. I might just show up on Saturday and maybe I will play Monday and see what happens. Because our currency on tour is points.’ There are no doubts that world No 1 and hot favourite for the French Open, Poland’s Iga Swiatek, will be at SW19. ‘I’m OK playing without points, I’m OK playing with points,’ she said. ‘For me it’s more the political side of things, because Poland is supporting Ukrainians, and the war is right next to my country. ‘It’s harder on me from that perspective. I don’t really mind about points. For me, it’s Wimbledon.’