Naomi Osaka withdraws from French Open
World’s second-ranked female tennis player Naomi Osaka has pulled out of the French Open, saying she has to ‘face stress’ before speaking to the media, due to which she has suffered “prolonged depression”.
The 23-year-old from Japan had said before the start of the French Open that she would not attend the post-match press conference. She was asked to face additional punishment from all four Grand Slam tournaments, including suspension and disqualification.
Osaka did the same after winning the first round match of the French Open tournament. She was warned of severe punishment for doing so in future, while being fined $ 15,000 for this act.
She told that she is doing this because after the defeat she has to face mental stress while answering the questions and due to this she starts doubting her own ability.
Osaka said in a statement released on Monday that she has been fighting mental health issues since the US Open in 2018.
“I will never take mental health lightly,” she said.
The 23 year old said, ‘It is in the benefit of the tournament and the other players that I withdraw from it. So that once again everyone can pay attention to the tennis going on in Paris.’
“I have never wanted to be a hindrance and believe that this was not the right time to do it,” she said. My message could have been more clear.”
Giving this information on social media, Osaka said that she has been battling depression since the US Open in 2018. Because of this, she did not attend the press conference after her first round win in Paris.
It took a long time to recover from depression
The 4 time Grand Slam winner also posted on social media telling the fans about her battle with depression. Osaka wrote in her post that after the 2018 US Open,’ I had to face a lot of trouble in recovering from mental stress. She was feeling insecure and worried in Paris. So did not go to the press conference. I had already announced it.’
“I think the best thing to do now for the tournament, the other players and my well being is that I step back so that everyone can focus on the tennis going on in Paris,” Osaka said in a statement. “I never wanted to be distracted and I accept that. My time was not ideal and my message could have been clear. More importantly, I will never despise mental health or use the word lightly.”
Although Osaka apologized to reporters for not attending the press conference, she also said that it was completely her personal decision but since she is not a natural speaker, she is not comfortable in front of the media. Sometimes she gets nervous in front of the global media and gets tensed about finding the best answer to a question. Osaka said she is currently taking a break from tennis but did not say how long the break would be.
After her withdrawal from the tournament, French Tennis Association President Gilles Moretton said, “First and foremost we are sorry and saddened for Naomi Osaka. It would be disappointing for Naomi to move away from Rolland. “
