Naomi Osaka pulls out of French Open citing injury

Newly-crowned US Open champion Naomi Osaka has confirmed that she will be pulling out of the upcoming French Open which is set to begin on September 27. Osaka cited a hamstring injury, which she had already been nursing since the Western and Southern Open held in New York last month.

Osaka was able to power through the US Open to win the third Grand Slam title of her career. She won the final last Saturday with a scoreline of 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 over Victoria Azarenka. Unfortunately, she has decided that she won't have enough time to prepare for a major tournament in clay just weeks later.

In a statement, she said, "My hamstring is still sore so I won't have enough time to prepare for the clay. These two tournaments came too close to each other for me."

Osaka's absence will be a big blow for the French Open, which will already be missing defending champion Ashleigh Barty. The Australian also opted out of the US Open, stating that she has health and safety concerns about travelling to the events in New York and Paris.

Fellow Australian Nick Kyrgios also opted out of the US Open among many other big names. The French Open is expected to face the same challenges when it comes to attendance. 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer has chosen to undergo aa knee surgery during the lockdown, and is not expected to return for the rest of the year.

On the upside, the "King of Clay" Rafael Nadal did not travel to the United States but is expected to travel to Roland Garros. The Spaniard is no doubt the biggest attraction at the event. The US Open has proven that a successful grand slam tournament can be staged even with numerous logistical challenges. With Wimbledon having already been cancelled this year, the French Open will be eager to soldier on. The event was originally scheduled to be played in May, but it had to be moved by several months due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.