Tennis – Australian Open – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia – January 19, 2022 Japan’s Naomi Osaka during her second round match against Madison Brengle of the U.S. REUTERS/Loren Elliott
Former World No. 1 Naomi Osaka plunged to No. 85 in the WTA singles world rankings, released Monday.
She dropped 71 spots from her pre-Australian Open rank of 14 after her third-round loss to American Amanda Anisimova. The 24-year-old from Japan now is ranked outside the Top 50 for the first time in nearly four years.
The freefall is the result of the expiration of points that count toward the rankings. Osaka played a limited schedule in 2021, taking much of the year off for mental-health purposes, and didn’t generate enough points to stay in the upper tier of the rankings.
A four-time Grand Slam champion, Osaka withdrew from the French Open following her first-round match. She refused to speak with the media from Paris and exited the tournament amid controversy, saying she needed a break due to depression and anxiety.
She skipped Wimbledon and played in the U.S. Open, losing in the third round, before taking more time off.
Australian Open winner Ashleigh Barty of Australia retained her hold on No. 1. American Danielle Collins, whom Barty defeated in the finals in Melbourne on Saturday, climbed 20 spots to a career-high No. 10.