Wimbledon confirm Naomi Osaka has yet to withdraw from this year’s Championships

Wimbledon
Naomi Osaka masked up

Wimbledon chiefs have confirmed that Naomi Osaka is still entered into the draw for this year’s Championships at the All England Club.

Osaka suggested she would take some time away from the game as she battled mental health issues that forced her to withdraw from the French Open.

Judy Murray, the mother of multiple Grand Slam champions Andy and Jamie, has told Tennis365 that tennis needs to do more to help young players deal with the pressure of being on tour after the Osaka incident in Paris.

Now the focus is set to switch back to the Japanese star, with Wimbledon Chief executive Sally Bolton revealed that, as things stand, the All England Club is expecting Naomi Osaka to compete in the tournament, which begins on June 28.

Bolton said: “We’ve reached out to her team, we haven’t spoken to Naomi herself. At this point in time she’s entered into the Championships and we haven’t received confirmation that she won’t compete.”

Tournament director Jamie Baker added: “I had the conversation with her team. It’s absolutely clear that we’re here, we’re completely open for any discussions when they want to have that. Hopefully it goes without saying that we want the best players competing here no matter what.

“We treat every single player with a tremendous amount of care. That’s one of the main reasons for me and my role. We’ve been building those relationships so there’s a constant, ongoing dialogue and we will just continue to behave in this way.”

Aside from a brief comment on her social media channels, Osaka has yet to make any public appearances or comments since her withdrawal from the French Open.

While it would be a huge surprise if she was to appear at Wimbledon, the door has been left ajar for her to make a return to the game.

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Naomi Osaka

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