Osaka stunned the tennis world when she pulled out of the Grand Slam after being fined and threatened with expulsion for refusing to show up at an obligatory news conference Fellow tennis stars and athletes have rallied to support Naomi Osaka after the world No 2 withdrew from the French Open in a row about post-match media duties after her admission she had been suffering from depression and anxiety. Osaka stunned the tennis world when she pulled out of the second Grand Slam of the year after being fined $15,000 by organisers and threatened with expulsion for refusing to show up at an obligatory news conference on Sunday. The Japanese, 23, had made clear her intentions on social media to renege on media duties to protect her mental well-being.
The four-time Grand Slam champion returned to Twitter on Monday to announce her withdrawal. “I think now the best thing for the tournament, the other players and my well-being is that I withdraw so that everyone can go back to focusing on the tennis going on in Paris,” she wrote. Osaka said she would speak to ATP Tour officials “when the time is right” about how to “make things better” for the players, media and fans. The French Tennis Federation (FFT) termed her withdrawal “unfortunate”. Her withdrawal triggered a wave of support from her peers and fellow athletes. Serena Williams was asked for her reaction to Osaka’s decision following her first-round win over Romanian Irina-Camelia Begu at Roland Garros.”Honestly I just found out before I walked into the press conference, so that’s the extent of it right now for me,” Williams told reporters.
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