The wait for Wimbledon 2022 is over. The third Grand Slam of the season and the only one to be played on grass will begin on June 27 and will be held at the All-England Lawn Tennis Club in London, United Kingdom, until July 10.
Wimbledon 2022 will not be able to repeat last year's champion as Ashleigh Barty has retired from professional tennis. The main favorite is the current queen of tennis, Iga Swiatek. The Polish player lands at Wimbledon with a streak of 35 consecutive victories and will be looking to win the third Grand Slam of her career.
According to the betting, with odds of - 2.50, the WTA No. 1 is the big favorite to win the championship. In addition, tennis players such as Coco Gauff, Ons Jabeur, Simona Halep, and Serena Williams are among the candidates to win Wimbledon 2022. The one who will not be able to aspire to lift the trophy will be Naomi Osaka, but because the 24-year-old player withdrew before the tournament started.
The reason why Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from Wimbledon 2022
Former World No.1 Naomi Osaka will be missing Wimbledon due to injury. The four-time Grand Slam champion announced her withdrawal on social media as she continues to struggle with her Achilles tendon. This will be the second consecutive edition where the Japanese superstar will miss out on the only grasscourt Major of the season.
Osaka posted a photo of herself on a grass court and wrote on Twitter: “My Achilles still isn’t right so I’ll see you next time”.
Osaka has not played an official match since losing in the first round of the French Open to Amanda Anisimova 7-5, 6-4 on May 24. During that match, for which she said she took a painkiller, Osaka tried to stretch her tendon by tugging on the toe of her shoe at changeovers and squatting to flex her lower leg between points.
The Japanese decision to withdraw from the Wimbledon came after she stated being considering skipping the grand slam in any case, as she suspected it may feel “like an exhibition”. The WTA and ATP decided to remove Wimbledon’s ranking points after the All-England Club banned the participation of Russian and Belarusian players following the invasion of Ukraine.
“I’m not sure why, but 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. I just can’t go at its 100 percent. I didn’t even make my decision yet, but I’m leaning more towards not playing given the current circumstances, but that might change”, Osaka said last month.
