As the French Open came to a close on Sunday, French tennis officials defended their treatment of Naomi Osaka.
Osaka, 23, withdrew after the first round, one day after she was threatened with potential expulsion from the tournament if she continued to boycott post-match press conferences.
Osaka announced prior to the tournament that she would not speak to the media at the French Open, contending those sessions can negatively impact an athlete’s mental health and confidence. The four-time Grand Slam winner and world’s second-ranked player was fined $15,000 after her first-round victory over Romania’s Patricia Maria Tig for her failure to take part in the media session.
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