Naomi Osaka out of Wimbledon due to Achilles injury

Former world No 1 Naomi Osaka has pulled out of Wimbledon due to an Achilles injury.

Osaka picked up the injury in Madrid, forcing her to miss the WTA 1000 tournament in Rome in the run-up to the French Open where she lost in the first round to Amanda Anisimova.

The four-time Grand Slam champion has already expressed reservations about competing after the tournament was stripped of its ranking points for banning Russian and Belarusian players from competing over the invasion of Ukraine.

The Japanese player's name had appeared on the singles entry list for Wimbledon – that starts on June 27 – when it was released last week, but she has not appeared in any of the grass-court events.

“My Achilles still isn't right so I'll see you next time,” Osaka posted on Twitter. Adding a wave and a grass emoji, the four-time slam winner continued: “After the storm comes the calm. This is a saying that I’m actively trying to master.

“I feel like life keeps dealing cards and you’re never gonna be used to them but it’s how you adapt to uncomfortable situations that really says stuff about your character. I’ve been repeating mantras in my head a lot recently.

“I don’t know if it’s to subconsciously help myself through stressful times or to ease my mind into realising that everything will work out fine as long as I put the work in. Cause what more can you do?”

Speaking after her French Open exit, the 24-year-old admitted she was “not 100 per cent sure” she would appear at the SW19 tournament.

“The intention of this measure was good, but the execution is all over the place,” Osaka said of the decision to strip Wimbledon of points.

my Achilles still isn’t right so I’ll see you next time