Women's tennis great Martina Navratilova on Monday said she was saddened by Naomi Osaka's decision to withdraw from the French Open following the controversy over her decision to boycott media obligations.
Four-time Grand Slam champion Osaka announced her decision on Monday, a day after being fined $15,000 for not attending a post-match media conference and threatened with expulsion after her first-round win.The Japanese player, who cited the negative impact on her mental wellbeing caused by facing journalists at post-match press conferences as the reason for her boycott, wrote on Twitter that she had suffered from depression since 2018.
"As athletes we are taught to take care of our body, and perhaps the mental and emotional aspect gets short shrift," Navratilova said. Osaka said she decided to withdraw from the Grand Slam tournament because she did not want to become a "distraction". Osaka said she regretted the timing of her media boycott. Navratilova said it had made the situation worse.
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