Osaka withdraws from Wimbledon due to an Achilles injury

Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from Wimbledon due to an Achilles injury.

Osaka, 24, has been struggling with the injury that she picked up in Madrid last month and will now miss the grass-court major once again.

The former world No 1 opted out of Wimbledon last year for mental health reasons, while the 2020 edition was shelved due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The 24-year-old Japanese player has not played since a first-round exit at the French Open and had already said her Wimbledon participation was in doubt due to the tournament's lack of ranking points in 2022.

The ATP and WTA made that call after Wimbledon chose to ban Russian and Belarusian players from participating due to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

She had since posted footage of herself on social media undergoing rehab on her injury, and on Saturday wrote: "My Achilles still isn't right so I'll see you next time."

Adding a wave and a grass emoji, she 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?"

Osaka, who has never made it past the third round at Wimbledon, has not played since being knocked out in the first round of the French Open by Amanda Anisimova.

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