Freshly topped US Open champion Naomi Osaka pulled out of the French Open with a sore hamstring on Thursday, in a contemporary blow to the coronavirus-hit Grand Slam which is already lacking world number one Ashleigh Barty. Japan’s Osaka made the announcement simply days after lifting her third main title behind closed doorways on the US Open in New York, the primary Grand Slam match attainable because the pandemic. “Sadly I will not be capable to play the French Open this 12 months,” Osaka mentioned in posts on Instagram and Twitter. “My hamstring remains to be sore so I will not have sufficient time to organize for the clay — these two tournaments got here too shut to one another for me this 12 months.”
The French Open is because of begin on September 27 at Roland Garros, rescheduled from earlier within the 12 months due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The withdrawal of third-ranked Osaka means Roland Garros shall be lacking two of the world’s prime three, after reigning champion Barty mentioned earlier this month that she would not return to defend her title.
The Australian mentioned she feared participation nonetheless carried well being dangers, and he or she had not been in a position to practice together with her coach due to the state border closures in her dwelling nation.
Osaka’s announcement additionally got here simply hours after French Open organisers have been pressured to slash every day attendance from 11,500 to five,000 as coronavirus instances surge in France.
Historical past-maker
On Sunday, Osaka rallied from a set down to beat Victoria Azarenka 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the US Open women’s final, including a 3rd main trophy after her 2018 US Open and 2019 Australian Open triumphs.
The 22-year-old was the primary lady to win the US Open singles closing from a set down since 1994, and the victory moved her to 3rd within the WTA rankings.
She additionally grew to become the primary Asian participant to win three Grand Slams, overtaking China’s Li Na on two.
Osaka pocketed $three million for the victory, one other huge haul for the participant who in Could was reported by Forbes to be the best paid feminine athlete on the planet, the journal calculating her earnings over the prior 12 months at $37.four million (34.three million euros).
Osaka, who has by no means made it out of the third spherical of the French Open, didn’t say when she’s going to play subsequent.
She did guarantee her followers they might see her “prior to later”.
Along with her on-court excellence, Osaka was within the highlight in New York for her activism on behalf of racial justice.
In the course of the Western & Southern, additionally held at Flushing Meadows, she boycotted her semi-final match to specific solidarity with athletes in different sports activities protesting the capturing of Jacob Blake by police in Wisconsin.
The match opted to pause play for a day and he or she agreed to play her semi-final.
On the US Open, Osaka wore a distinct masks to every of her seven matches, all bearing the identify of a sufferer of racial injustice and police brutality.
Critics ‘impressed me’
Her stance drew reward from many, and Osaka had a defiant response on social media to those that did complain.
“All of the those who have been telling me to ‘hold politics out of sports activities’, (which it wasn’t political in any respect), actually impressed me to win,” Osaka, who’s of Japanese and Haitian heritage, tweeted.
“You higher imagine I am gonna attempt to be in your television for so long as attainable.”
However Osaka had gone into the US Open with health considerations.
She pulled out of the ultimate of the Western & Southern Open with a left hamstring damage simply two days earlier than the beginning of the Grand Slam in New York.
She mentioned she pulled the muscle in her semi-final victory over Elise Mertens.
Osaka performed her US Open matches together with her left thigh closely strapped, however confirmed no signal the damage hindered her.
Promoted
The US Open, usually the ultimate Grand Slam in a season, was simply the second main to be performed in 2020 after the Australian Open in January.
The Covid-19 pandemic introduced tennis to a halt together with the remainder of international sport, with Wimbledon cancelled and Roland Garros moved from its traditional Could begin to September 27-October 11.
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