Naomi Osaka Quit The French Open To Protect Her Mental Health 'I never wanted to be a distraction and I accept that my timing was not ideal and my message could have been clearer,' she says in a post explaining her choice to withdraw.
“I think the best thing for the tournament, the other players and my well-being is that I withdraw so everyone can get back to focusing on the tennis going on in Paris,” she wrote. “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.”
Osaka went on in her statement to explain that, since the 2018 U.S. Open, she’s suffered from “long bouts of depression.” She explained that speaking to the public and reporters at mandatory press conferences during tournaments gives her “huge waves of anxiety.” “Here in Paris I was already feeling vulnerable anxious so I thought it was better to exercise self-care and skip the press conferences,” Osaka wrote. “I announced it preemptively because I do feel like the rules are quite outdated in parts and I wanted to highlight that.”
Osaka announced early on that she didn’t want to participate in press conferences, even though they’re mandatory for French Open players, and she was fined $15,000 for her decision. Tournament officials also warned that if she continued to skip press conferences, she could be kicked out of the tournament.
“I’m gonna take some time away from the court now, but when 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,” Osaka wrote at the end of her statement.
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