French Open 2021: Naomi Osaka leaves the tournament after being fined for selling her media duties

Naomi Osaka will not play this year French Open.

After winning his fourth Grand Slam title at this year’s Australian Open, Osaka announced on Monday that it would retire from the second Grand Slam of the season. In a statement posted on social media, Osaka explained that he would skip the clay tournament to protect his mental well-being.

“Now for the tournament, I think the best thing for other players and my well-being is to retire so that everyone can focus on the tennis they are doing in Paris,” Osaka said in the statement.

“I never wanted to be a distraction and I accept that my time was not ideal and my message could have been clearer. More importantly, I would never have neglected or used to alleviate mental health. It is true that I have suffered from long bouts of depression. and I’ve had a hard time dealing with that. “

Ahead of the French Open, Osaka announced its commitment to skip post-match press conferences. After winning the first round match against Patricia Maria Tig on Sunday, Osaka kept its word and imposed fines on him for his actions.

Osaka, the second-ranked female player in the world, was fined $ 15,000 for not attending the mandatory post-match press conference and was also warned that if he continues to speak to the media, the penalties could be even harsher. Failure to comply with the French Open was in jeopardy and organizers of the Roland Garros tournament said there could be “more significant fines and future Grand Slam suspensions”.

Osaka has not made it to the third round of the French Open in three races of its career. Last year, he was forced to retire due to a serious leg injury. In 2019, Osaka lost to Karolina Pliskova and in 2018, to Madison Keys. They lost both games directly.