Naomi Osaka pulls out of French Open after media boycott row

Naomi Osaka said that she is withdrawing from the French Open following the bitter fall-out from her decision to boycott all media activity. (AFP Photo)

Embattled Japanese superstar Naomi Osaka withdrew from the French Open late on Monday.

In a social media post, Osaka, the highest earning female athlete on the planet, who had earlier announced she wouldn't be addressing press conferences at Roland Garros, said, "I think 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 added, "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."

The 23-year-old said she had suffered long bouts of depression after the 2018 US Open.

Osaka finished by saying she would take time off from the court. "I'll see you when I see you," she signed off.

Earlier, Osaka, a four-time major winner, ranked No.2 on the WTA Tour, in a social media post, stated, "People have no regard for athletes' mental health. This rings true whenever I see a press conference or partake in one. 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. I'm not going to subject myself to people that doubt me."

Osaka came down particularly hard on her post-match interactions saying, 'that whole situation is kicking a person when they are down. I don't understand the reasoning behind it.'

Following her first round win over Romanian Maria Patricia Tig on Sunday, the Japanese was fined $15,000 for failing to meet contractual obligations.

In a press statement the Grand Slam tournaments, who attempted to engage with Osaka, but to no avail, added, "We have advised Naomi Osaka that should she continue to ignore her media obligations during the tournament, she would be exposing herself to possible further Code of Conduct infringement consequences, including default from the tournament."

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