Naomi Osaka Officially Skips Wimbledon to Take 'Personal Time with Friends and Family'

Tennis star Naomi Osaka needs some time to be with her friends and family and will miss the upcoming Wimbledon Grand Slam tournament as a result.

After withdrawing from the recently-concluded French Open tournament in May, tennis star Naomi Osaka is also withdrawing from Wimbledon, which begins next month.

The tennis star's agent, Stuart Duguid, made this information known in a statement he made on Thursday, June 17, 2021. Duguid said his client would not play in Wimbledon this year.

He explained that her non-participation is because she wants to spend time with her friends and family. However, despite her absence in the last two Grand Slam tournaments, Osaka would be partaking in the Summer Olympic Games.

According to Duguid, Osaka will be ready for the Olympics, which takes place in her country, Japan, as she is excited about the prospect of competing in front of her home fans.

Before the French Open started, Osaka tweeted that she would not participate in press conferences during the tournament.

She said she has often felt that people don't have regard for athletes' mental health and those feelings ring true every time she takes part in a press conference or watches one.

Osaka has received support from tennis legends and other sports personalities.

Osaka also opened up about her struggles with her mental health. She kept to her word and was fined $15,000 for refusing to take part in her press conference after her first-round match during the French Open.

The sports world reacted to the situation with the world's No. 2 ranked female tennis player. Some persons berated the French Open's governing body for fining her, while others asked her to drop her media boycott.

After Osaka was fined, she made a lengthy statement, where she announced her withdrawal from the French Open and said it was best for the tournament and other players that she did so.

The 23-year-old explained that she never wanted to be a distraction and admitted that her timing was not perfect. She also said her message could have been clearer and that she neither trivializes mental health nor uses the term lightly.

Since making her struggles with mental health public, Osaka has received support from tennis legends and other sports personalities. Serena Williams said she feels for her while Billie-Jean King asked people to give her the time and space she needs.

Besides her exploits on the tennis courts, Osaka is also involved in the world of fashion, where she has made a name for herself in recent years with her partnerships with several major brands.