Naomi Osaka pulls out from next month’s Indian Wells tourney

Naomi Osaka, who said at the US Open that she planned to take a break from tennis, has officially pulled out of next month’s BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. Indian Wells is scheduled for October 4-17 after twice being delayed during the coronavirus pandemic. Naomi Osaka pulls out from next month’s Indian Wells tourney (Image Courtesy: Reuters)HIGHLIGHTSOsaka has struggled on court since she withdrew from the French Open in MayThe 23-year-old Japanese player won her first WTA title at Indian Wells in 2018Naomi Osaka pulls out from next month’s Indian Wells tourneyJapanese tennis star Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells. Following her loss at the US Open earlier this month, she announced that she would be taking another indefinite break from tennis.

The four-time Grand Slam champion fell in the third round of the year’s final major and afterwards told reporters she needed the break to concentrate on her mental health.Osaka has struggled on court since she withdrew from the French Open in May amid a row with tournament officials over required media appearances, which she said had a negative impact on her.The 23-year-old Japanese player won her first WTA title at Indian Wells in 2018.”We look forward to seeing you in 2022, Naomi,” the tournament said on Twitter.”I honestly don’t know when I’m going to play my next tennis match, I think I’m going to take a break from playing for a while,” she said after the defeat.She also dropped out of the Tokyo Olympics in the early rounds in July after an early exit from Cincinnati last month.The former world no 1 slipped out of the top five in the WTA rankings and is currently ranked no 8.Osaka, who was born in Japan and now is based in the US, has struggled on court since she withdrew from the French Open in May due to a disagreement with the tournament officials about mandatory media appearances, which she said had a negative impact on her mental health.Click here for our site’s complete coverage of the coronavirus pandemic.