Naomi Osaka gets knocked out of French Open with Wimbledon up in the air

Paris, France - Naomi Osaka's hopes of reclaiming the Suzanne-Lenglen cup were crushed after her first round knockout during the French Open.

Naomi Osaka at the 2022 French Open.
Naomi Osaka at the 2022 French Open.  © Christophe ARCHAMBAULT / AFP

Naomi Osaka's return to major tennis competition has remained a bumpy journey.

The four-time Grand Slam champion was knocked out of the French Open during her first round match against American Amanda Anisimova on Monday.

"I thought I tried really hard. I just feel like it was a bit unfortunate because I wasn't able to play as many matches leading into this tournament, so there were probably some really bad decisions that I made," she said in a post-match press conference.

Following the surprising loss, the 24-year-old expressed her lack of motivation to play in Wimbledon after the ATP and WTA tours announced last week they will not award ranking points because Wimbledon is barring Russia and Belarus players. The tournament is scheduled for next month.

"I didn't even make my decision yet, but I'm leaning more towards not playing given the current circumstances," she said.

"I feel like if I play Wimbledon without points, it's more like an exhibition. I know this isn't true, right? But my brain just like feels that way. Whenever I think like something is like an exhibition, I just can't go at it 100%."

The athlete has been tampering with an Achilles injury which limited her preparation time ahead of the French Open. The 7-5 6-4 defeat ended all hopes of reclaiming the Suzanne-Lenglen cup.

This was the former world No. 1's first time back to the tournament since she withdrew before her second-round match at last year's French Open, after ducking press conferences there to protect her mental health.

Cover photo: Collage: Screenshot/Instagram/naomiosaka & Christophe ARCHAMBAULT / AFP

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