Naomi Osaka has officially withdrawn from the French Open 2021.

Naomi stated at the beginning of the tournament that she wasn’t going to do after match press conferences because they affected her mental health.

Since that time she has faced a lot of questions (outside of the press conferences).

The vast majority of comments have been negative and focused around the fact that those press conferences are required and part of the job. The French Open then came out and gave Naomi a fine of $15,000 USD after her first round win because she didn’t attend the press conference. Later they also stated that if she continued in this way she would be forfeited out of the tournament and then potentially banned from future tournaments. Naomi also receive no support from any of her fellow players.

Now I think Naomi has taken the steps she probably should have done at the beginning of the tournament and withdraw. This will now give her time to see the correct help and then come back to tennis even stronger!