Naomi Osaka Withdraws From French Open To Focus On Her Well-Being; Fined After Avoiding Media Obligations
After being fined $15,000 for skipping her mandatory news conference following her first-round win at the French Open, Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from the tournament and announce on her social account that will be taking some time away from the court, Monday, May 31.
Not a Natural Public Speaker
The ranked no. 2 Women Tennis player by the Women's Tennis Association was fined and threatened with harsher sanctions if she will continue to skip the mandatory media obligations in the tournament.
According to ESPN, the Asian player, Naomi Osaka shared in her lengthy statement that she never wanted to be a distraction. She also added that her withdrawal is not only the best thing for the tournament, for other players, but also for her well-being.
Moreover, Osaka thinks her decision will favor everyone getting back their focus on the tennis going on in Paris. Osaka also wrote she never wanted to be a distraction and she accepts that the timing of her decision of backing out from the tournament was not ideal and the message could have been clearer, The New York Times reported.
Meanwhile, the president of the French Tennis Federation, Gilles Moretton, read a brief statement to the media on Monday after the withdrawal of Osaka. Moretton shared that they were sorry and sad for Naomi Osaka, BBC reported.
In addition, he also added that the outcome of Naomi withdrawing from Roland Garros is unfortunate. But they still wish Osaka the best and the quickest possible recovery and they look forward to having Naomi back in their future tournaments.
Also, the WTA President shared that all the Grand Slams, the WTA, the ATP, and the ITF, remain very committed to all athletes' well-being. He also added that they will continue improving all aspects of players' experience in their tournaments especially those involving with the media.
However, Moretton did not take any follow-up questions from the media after reading the statement.
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Furthermore, the 23-year-old Osaka also revealed that she has experienced depression and anxiety since winning her first major at the 2018 US Open. She then explained that every time she speaks to the media it makes her nervous. But, Osaka also apologized to the members of the press if she had impacted them with her decision.
Osaka admitted in her statement that she is not a natural public speaker. She also shared that she gets a huge wave of anxiety especially before speaking to the media around the world. Osaka also stated that she gets nervous and finds it stressful to always try and engage with media in giving them the best answers that she could.
On the other hand, the Slams also said that their decision was a matter of fairness. They also want to underline that rules are in place in order to ensure that players are treated exactly the same, no matter their stature, beliefs, or achievements. The organizations also called the engagement of players with the media a "core element of the Grand Slam regulations" and it is an important part of the continuous growth of the sport.
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