Naomi Osaka withdraws from BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells post US Open 2021 loss

The suspense over Naomi Osaka's participation in the Indian Wells tournament is finally over with the tournament organisers confirming that the player has decided to pull out of the tournament. Naomi Osaka was earlier named on the entry list for the  Indian Wells tournament, with the mystery surrounding over he participation in the tournament. Naomi Osaka was last seen at the US Open where she was knocked out in the early round of the tournament. 

The Indian Wells tournament which is set to be played from October 4-17, is making its return for the first time since 2019 after being delayed last year due to the pandemic and again in March. Naomi Osaka had struggled on the court since she withdrew from the French Open in May amid a row with tournament officials over required media appearances, which she said had a negative impact on her mental health. 

Naomi Osaka takes break from tennis 

Naomi Osaka US Open journey was ended in the third round by the eventual runner up Leylah Fernandez. Following the exit Noami Osaka in her post-match press conference had said, "When I win I don't feel happy. I feel more like a relief. And then when I lose, I feel very sad. I don't think that's normal. I feel like I'm kind of at this point where I'm trying to figure out what I want to do," she added after a pause, "and I honestly don't know when I'm going to play my next tennis match…I think I'm going to take a break from playing for a while."

BNP Paribas Open players list 

Novak Djokovic and Ash Barty will headline the men's and women's singles draw respectively. After losing the chance to complete the calendar slam following US open 2021 loss, Djokovic is seeking a record sixth title at Indian Wells having already won the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon titles this year. Novak Djokovic in the field are Australian Open finalist Daniil Medvedev, French Open finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas, Olympic champion Alexander Zverev, Andrey Rublev and Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini.

In the women draw, Ash Barty will be joined by Bianca Andreescu, Elena Vesnina, Simona Halep and Victoria Azarenka. Also in the list are World No 2 Aryna Sabalenka, Wimbledon finalist Karolina Pliskova, Olympic bronze medalist Elina Svitolina, former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin and French Open winner Barbora Krejcikova. Three teenagers will make their debuts at Indian Wells — 17-year-old Coco Gauff, 18-year-old Carlos Alcaraz and 19-year-old Leylah Fernandez.

Naomi Osaka WTA world rankings

Apart from taking a break from tennis, Naomi Osaka WTA World Ranking has also taken a dip. Before the latest ranking was released, Naomi Osaka was in the fifth spot, how she has now dropped three places down to occupy the eighth position in the latest rankings. The four-time grand slam champion now has 4326 points to her name.  The 23-year-old Japanese tennis star returned to take part in the Olympics, the US Open, and Cincinnati Open only to lose all of them in the third round.