Naomi Osaka Withdraws From The French Open A Day After Being Fined For Refusing To Talk To The Media While Dealing With Anxiety And Depression

Tim Clayton - Corbis. Getty Images.

Well that just sucks. I wrote about this just a few hours ago as the French Open threatened to default Naomi Osaka from the tournament for refusing to talk to the media due to mental health. All of this was just an ugly mess and it's sad it's come to this where she has to withdraw from the tournament. Osaka is a global icon in the sports world and is a star in the sport. I suggested she just pull a Marshawn Lynch and attend press conferences saying "I'm just here so I don't get fined" but it's clear Osaka had no plans in giving in. She's dealing with some real shit and needs to look out for herself. 

17 year old Coco Gauff offered her support for Osaka after the announcement. 

Just a really shitty situation. As I said in the blog this morning, mental health with professional athletes should be prioritized way more than it is, but at the same time the media plays such a big role in growing the sport. I truly feel bad how this all played out. Naomi Osaka is a flat out awesome person. She's incredibly kind, super thoughtful, funny, and crazy good at tennis. She's also incredibly shy. For example, she felt she had to apologize when she beat Serena at the US Open a few years back. That's the kind of person we're talking about here. Anytime she's not involved however, the sport suffers. She says she's been battling depression since 2018 and that really sucks to hear. Hopefully she's able to get herself the help she needs and gets back to a spot where she's comfortable talking to the media and playing the sport she loves.