PARIS: World No.2 Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from Roland Garros. The reigning Australian Open champion announced her decision Monday on social media.
Before the start of the French Open, Osaka said she would not partake in post-match media during the tournament because of the toll it can take on the players’ mental well-being.
The world number two made good on her declaration following her first round win on Sunday. Osaka was subsequently docked $15,000 from her prize money and warned that she faced a default from the French Open if she continued to shun her media obligations.
Her failure to attend saw the four Grand Slams – Australian Open, Roland-Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open – release a joint statement reminding Osaka of her obligations and warning her that she faced being expelled from the tournament as well as bans from the other three Grand Slams if she chose to follow the same stance going forward.
Osaka issued the following statement on her decision to pull the plug on her French Open campaign:
“Hey everyone, this isn’t a situation I ever imagined or intended when I posted a few days ago. I think now the best thing for the tournament, the other players and my well-being is that I withdraw so that everyone can get back to focusing on the tennis going on in Paris. I never wanted to be a distraction and I accept that my timing was not ideal and my message could have been clearer. More importantly I would never trivialise mental health or use the term lightly. The truth is that I have suffered long bouts of depression since the US Open in 2018 and I have had a really hard time coping with that. Anyone that knows me knows I’m introverted, and anyone that has seen me at the tournaments will notice that I’m often wearing headphones as that helps dull my social anxiety. Though the tennis press has always been kind to me (and I wanna apologize especially to all the cool journalists who I may have hurt), I am not a natural public speaker and get huge waves of anxiety before I speak to the world’s media. I get really nervous and find it stressful to always try to engage and give you the best answers I can.
“So here in Paris I was already feeling vulnerable and anxious so I thought it was better to exercise self-care and skip the press conferences. I announced it pre-emptively because I do feel lie the rules are quite outdated in parts and I wanted to highlight that. I wrote privately to the tournament apologizing and saying that I would be more than happy to speak with them after the tournament as the Slams are intense. I’m gonna take some time away from the court now, but when the time is right I really want to work with the Tour to discuss ways we can make things better for the players, press and fans. Anyways hope you are all doing well and staying safe, love you guys I’ll see you when I see you.”
French Tennis Federation president Gilles Moretton issued the following statement after Osaka’s announcement: “First and foremost, we are sorry and sad for Naomi Osaka. The outcome of Naomi withdrawing from Roland Garros is unfortunate. We wish her the best and the quickest possible recovery and we look forward to having Naomi in our tournament next year. As all the Grand Slams, the WTA, the ATP, and the ITF, we remain very committed to all the athletes’ well-being and to continually improving every aspect of players’ experience in our tournaments, including with the media, like we have always strived to do.”
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