Naomi Osaka may not participate at Wimbledon due to ranking points row - 'it’ll be more like an exhibition'

Naomi Osaka has revealed that she's «not 100 per cent sure» she will play at Wimbledon due to the lack of ranking points on offer, in the first sign that big-name players may be absent from the Grand Slam. Both the ATP and WTA tours announced in the previous week that they have stripped the summer Slam of its ranking points because of the tournament's decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players.

Ad/> British player Cam Norrie said on Sunday that some stars could be missing from Wimbledon. /> Roland-GarrosSwiatek — Tsurenko — Roland-Garros Highlights16 MINUTES AGO And Osaka said after losing her first-round match at the French Open to Amanda Anisimova that she may now skip the grass-court Slam.

“I would love to go to get some experience on the grass court," said Osaka. «But I’m the type of player who gets motivated by seeing my ranking go up.” She supported her answer to another question in Japanese, saying: „I feel like if I play Wimbledon without points it’ll be more like an exhibition.

“I know this isn’t true, but my brain just feels like that way and whenever I think of something like an exhibition I just can’t go at it 100 per cent. “I didn’t even make my decision yet but I’m leaning more towards not playing given the current circumstances.

That might change but I do want to get more experience on the grass and I know that the Berlin tournament is giving out points.” Osaka has, over the last calendar year, become an avid campaigner for greater support for player welfare across the world tours, and pulled out of the 2021 French Open due to her own mental health concerns. She spoke of her 'progression' in her attitude after her defeat to Anisimova, saying that she now „[doesn't] look at my messages [on social