Naomi Osaka has opened up about a withdrawal from the French Open she was rumoured to have suffered from a concussion and injuries in a car accident.
Although Osaka withdrew from Roland Garros with a knee injury which, at the time, some people thought was the result of a car accident, she was then pictured crying on court during a match on the next day, with tournament officials turning their backs to her during the changeover.
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The 20-year-old told Vanity Fair it happened for a reason.
“I did have a car accident,” she told the magazine, adding: “For that tournament, I was really sick, so yeah, I don’t want to go into details.”
When asked if her withdrawal had anything to do with her poor physical condition at the time, Osaka said, “Yes, that’s what you saw on the court.”
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But the world No. 25 doesn’t want to focus on the incident now.
“I want to keep that to myself and not have it affect me,” she said. “I think I tried to do that too much.”
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She’s currently ranked No. 7 in the world and is looking forward to her debut at the WTA Finals in Singapore next month.
She was ranked just outside the top 20 just two months ago, but has surged ahead of players like Angelique Kerber to the top of the rankings this year.