Naomi Osaka Announces She’s Withdrawing From The French Open
On Monday, Naomi Osaka announced that she is withdrawing from the French Open.
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In a statement posted to social media, the tennis star who previously announced that she would not speak to press during the tournament, explained that she never wanted her decision to be a distraction and reiterating her struggles with depression. “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.” She added, “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,” she posted.
As we previously reported, last week, a few days before the French Open started, Osaka posted on social media that she was not going to participate in media briefings at the tournament at Roland-Garros Stadium. She cited mental health concerns, saying she “often felt that people have no regard for athletes mental health,” and that press conferences can cause some to break down. Her latest announcement comes one day after the heads of the four major tennis organizations wrote a letter in which Osaka was fined $15,000 for not participating in press conferences at the event and threatened more penalties if she continued to not engage with the media at Grand Slam events.
Osaka, who was scheduled to take on Ana Bogdan in the second round Wednesday, said she hoped she could have a conversation with officials from the WTA when she returns.
“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,” she posted.
— NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) May 31, 2021
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