Naomi Osaka withdraws from French Open after $15,000 fine
Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from the French Open after receiving a $15,000 punishment for failing to speak to the media following her straight-set victory on Sunday.
The 23-year-old announced her decision in a long social media post, stating she did it for “self-care” since she was “already feeling vulnerable and anxious” owing to the strain of dealing with several journalists. “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 said in her statement.
“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,” the four-time major champion added, noting that she often suffers bouts of anxiety before facing the media.
She said she felt some “rules are quite outdated in parts and I wanted to highlight that.”
