Naomi Osaka of Japan says her motivation for playing Wimbledon is not so great after sport’s authorities stripped the tournament of ranking points. Picture: Michael Reaves, Getty Images via AFP
Julien Pretot, in PARIS – Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka's participation in Wimbledon was in doubt on Monday after the Japanese player said the decision by the sport's authorities to strip the tournament of ranking points had reduced her motivation to play.
Wimbledon last week had its ranking points taken away by the men's ATP and women's WTA after the grasscourt major opted to exclude players from Russia and Belarus because of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
"I would say the decision is kind of affecting, like, my mentality going into grass, like I'm not 100% sure if I'm going to go there," Osaka told a news conference after her first-round defeat at the French Open on Monday.
"I would love to go just to get some experience on the grass court, but like at the same time, for me, it's kind of like -- I don't want to say pointless, no pun intended, but I'm the type of player that gets motivated by... seeing my ranking go up."
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The move by the ATP and WTA was met with "deep disappointment" by the All England Lawn Tennis Club who repeated their stance that the ban was the only viable option under British government guidance.
The International Tennis Federation (ITF) also said it will not grant ranking points to Wimbledon this year for junior and wheelchair tennis events.
The AELTC decision to impose the suspension on Russian and Belarusian players at this year's championships is the first time players have been excluded on grounds of nationality since the immediate post-World War Two era when German and Japanese players were banned.
World number one Iga Swiatek said she would take part in Wimbledon, but implored the tennis governing bodies to come together to find a solution to the "tricky situation".
"I feel like it's a pretty tricky situation, and every solution is going to be somehow the wrong one for some part of people or players," the Polish player said after an easy first-round win at Roland Garros.
"I just hope that the people that are responsible for making the decisions, they are all going to come together so our sport is going to be united, because for now, I feel like it's not united. We feel that in the locker room, so it's pretty hard."
Swiatek expressed some sympathy for Russian and Belarussian players.
"I also know that all the Russian and Belarusian players are not responsible in what's going on in their country," she said.
"But on the other hand, the sport has been used in politics and we are kind of public personas and we have some impact on people. It would be nice if the people who are making decisions were making decisions that are going to stop Russia's aggression. But it's a tricky one."
Reuters