Naomi Osaka withdraws from French Open amid media boycott backlash

Former world No 1 was threatened with expulsion from the clay-court Grand Slam after refusing to partake in press conferences

Naomi Osaka has announced that she will be withdrawing from the French Open because of the furore caused by her boycott of media duties.

The world No 2 won her opening match against Patricia Maria Tig on Sunday, but her decision not to take part in press conferences or interviews has been the biggest talking point of the tournament.

The Grand Slams reacted strongly to Osaka’s move, releasing a joint statement on Sunday that threatened her with potential disqualification and a ban from future tournaments should she not reconsider.

Osaka, who cited mental health reasons, wrote on Twitter: “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.”

Osaka said she had suffered bouts of depression since winning her first slam title at the US Open in 2018 and that talking to the media triggered anxiety.

“I never wanted to be be a distraction and I accept that my timing was not ideal and my message could have been clearer,” she continued on Twitter. “More importantly, I would never trivialise 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 I’m introverted, and anyone that has seen me at the 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 apologise 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.”

PA