Naomi Osaka first big name to reveal she might skip Wimbledon following WTA sanction

Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka has revealed there is a chance she decides to skip Wimbledon following the WTA decision to remove ranking points from this year’s tournament. 

On Friday, the WTA announced the removal of ranking points from Wimbledon. 

Last month, Wimbledon imposed player bans on Russian and Belarusian players. 

The WTA promised there would be a reaction and they kept their promise. 

Since there will be no ranking points at Wimbledon, Osaka doesn’t see the point in playing at The Championships. 

“I would say the decision is kind of affecting my mentality going into grass, like I’m not 100 percent sure if I’m going to go there,” Osaka said, per Standard. “I would love to go just to get some experience on the grass court, but like at the same time, for me, it’s kind of 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.”

Osaka out of the French Open

On Monday, Osaka exited the French Open after suffering a straight-set defeat versus Amanda Anisimova.

27th-seeded Anisimova handed Osaka a 7-5 6-4 loss and now she has a 2-0 head-to-head versus the Japanese. 

Osaka was hampered by an Achilles injury in Madrid and the same injury forced her to pull out of Rome. 

Even though Osaka wasn’t at her best, she still decided to play the French Open. 

“I took a painkiller before my match. I still kind of felt it a little, which I’m going to see what happens when it wears off,” Osaka said after the loss. 

“I prepared myself to feel it, so that wasn’t really the wearing part. It was just annoying to me because the last time I played her, our serves were really important. And coming into this tournament I didn’t serve a lot, because we wanted to wait until last minute to protect my Achilles.”