STARNBERG/PARIS, May 31, 2021
Naomi Osaka withdrew from Roland Garros on Monday evening. The four-time Grand Slam singles champion from Japan was fined $15,000 after she did not conduct a post-match press conference following her first-round win against Romanian Patricia Maria Tig on Sunday.
The four Grand Slam organisers reacted strongly to Osaka’s move, releasing a joint statement on Sunday that threatened the 23-year-old with potential disqualification and a ban from future tournaments should she not reconsider.
The full statement from the Grand Slam board after the announcement that Naomi Osaka has been fined $15,000.
Repeat violations could “attract tougher sanctions including default from the tournament” and “could lead to more substantial fines and future Grand Slam suspensions” pic.twitter.com/H2K6TZTxSX
— Tumaini Carayol (@tumcarayol) May 30, 2021
In a statement posted on Twitter, Osaka said: “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. I accept that my timing was not ideal and my message could have been clearer. More importantly, I would never trivialize 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 that I’m introverted, and anyone that’s seen me at 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 I announced it pre-emptively because I do feel like the rules are quite outdated in parts and I wanted to highlight that.
“I wrote privately to the tournament apologising 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.”
— NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) May 31, 2021
