Naomi Osaka withdraws from French Open due to anxiety, fined $15k 

Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from the French Open on Monday after tennis officials threatened to suspend her for declining to do media interviews at the tournament due to mental health concerns, according to NBC News.

“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 a statement on Twitter. “I never wanted to be a distraction and accept that my timing was not ideal and my message could have been clearer.”

Osaka said that she’s “suffered long bouts of depression” since her controversial win over Serena Williams at the U.S. Open in 2018 and has struggled to deal with it.

Last week, Osaka said that she wouldn’t speak to the press during the French Open, resulting in a hefty fine by tennis officials.

“Naomi Osaka today chose not to honor her contractual media obligations. The Roland-Garros referee has therefore issued her a $15,000 fine, in keeping with article III H. of the Code of Conduct. The mental health of players competing in our tournaments and on the Tours is of the utmost importance to the Grand Slams,” U.S. Tennis Association, the French Tennis Federation, the All England Lawn Tennis Club, and Tennis Australia said in a statement.  

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