Tennis pro-Naomi Osaka dropped out of next week’s German Open grass-court tournament only days after withdrawing from the French Open to work on her mental health.
Berlin WTA organizers told Reuters in a statement ahead of the tournament, “We have received notification Naomi Osaka cannot start in Berlin, after consulting her management, she will take a break.”
The German Open, which is set to begin on June 14, is a grass-court tournament that serves as a warmup event for Wimbledon.
The 23-year-old released a social media statement on Saturday to thank her fans for their support over her decision to withdraw from the French Open following controversy over her refusal to attend press conferences.
According to Reuters, she also revealed that she had been suffering from bouts of depression for several years.
“Just want to thank you for all the love,” she wrote in an Instagram story.
“Haven’t been on my phone much, but I wanted to hop on here and tell you all that I really appreciate it,” she said.
As Sister2Sister previously reported, in regards to her decision not to play in the French Open, she said, “I never wanted to be a distraction, and I accept that my timing was not ideal and my message could have been clearer.”
“More importantly, I would never trivialize mental health or use the term lightly,” she added.
Related Story: UPDATE: Naomi Osaka Withdraws From French Open In Effort To Protect Her Mental Health
Nike, which has had a sponsorship deal with Osaka since 2019, issued a statement last week supporting her.
“Our thoughts are with Naomi,” Nike said, according to CNN. “We support her and recognize her courage in sharing her own mental health experience.”
Osaka, the highest-paid female athlete of all time, hasn’t revealed when she will be back in tournament play, and it is still unknown whether Osaka will return to the game in time for Wimbledon, which begins later this month.
