Naomi Osaka pulls out of Wimbledon due to Achilles injury

LONDON: Former world number one Naomi Osaka has pulled out of Wimbledon due to a left Achilles injury, the four-times Grand Slam champion said on Saturday.

Japan's Osaka suffered the injury in Madrid, forcing her to miss the WTA 1000 event in Rome in the leadup to the French Open. Osaka had said after her defeat at Roland Garros that she was not 100% sure if she would play on grass this season.

The men's ATP and women's WTA took away ranking points from the grasscourt Grand Slam after organisers the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) decided to ban participation by Russian and Belarusian players following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

Osaka had reasoned that playing in the major without the possibility of earning points would not help her ranking and the decision of the authorities had reduced her motivation to play. Agencies

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