Naomi Osaka is ending her bid for the 2021 French Open championship, one day after she was fined $15,000 and faced the threat of suspension for skipping the tournament’s press conferences to prioritize her mental health.
The 23-year-old tennis ace, who had announced prior to her first match that she wouldn’t be taking in part in press, told fans in a social media statement that bowing out of the tournament wasn’t “a situation [she] ever imagined or intended.”
“I think now the best thing for the tournament, the other players and my wellbeing is that I withdraw so that everyone can get back to focusing on the tennis going on in Paris,” she wrote.
— NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) May 31, 2021
Last Wednesday, Naomi revealed that she’d chosen not to take part in interviews for this competition.
“I’ve often felt that people have no regard for athletes’ mental health and this rings very true whenever I see a press conference or partake in one,” she tweeted in part at the time. “We’re often sat there and asked questions that we’ve been asked multiple times before or asked questions that bring doubt into our minds, and I’m just not going to subject myself to people that doubt me.”
She also recognized that she’d likely be fined for taking this stand, adding that she hoped “the considerable amount” that she’d owe them would “go towards a mental health charity.”
— NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) May 26, 2021
Four days later, the U.S. Tennis Association, the French Tennis Federation, the All England Lawn Tennis Club and Tennis Australia (who run each of the four Grand Slam tournaments) announced that Naomi had been fined $15,000 and would be at risk of defaulting from the French Open – or even suspension from future Grand Slam tournaments – if she continued to violate the rules.
In her Monday statement addressing her exit from the French Open, Naomi said she didn’t want her media blackout to take away from the game.
“I never wanted to be a distraction and 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,” she shared.
“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 know 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,” she continued.
“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,” she went on. “I get really nervous and find it stressful to always try to engage and give you the best answers I can.”
Naomi explained that she was feeling that stress ahead of time in Paris and it would be best to opt out of press.
“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 preemptively because I do feel like the rule are quite outdated in parts and I wanted to highlight that. I wrote privately to the tournament apologizing and saying that I would be more than happy to speak with them after the tournament as the Slams are intense,” she shared.
“I’m gonna take some time away from the court now, but when I 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,” she concluded.
A handful of stars spoke out in support of Naomi following her step back from the tournament.
Jameela Jamil tweeted, “Let’s boycott the French Open. Naomi is the most exciting player anyway. Imagine punishing someone for having anxiety… in 2021.”
Fellow tennis star Coco Gauff wrote on Twitter, “Stay strong. I admire your vulnerability.”
Holly Robinson Peete chimed in, “Take care of YOU.”
Naomi’s boyfriend, rapper Cordae, commented on her Instagram statement, “No need to apologize to ANYBODY!”
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