The tennis star's sister Mari also offers more insight into the matter in a message in which she explains that Naomi's refusal to speak with media started with criticism over her performance on clay surfaces.
- Jun 1, 2021
AceShowbiz - Naomi Osaka has broken her silence regarding her being fined for skipping her French Open news conference. In a stetement issued by the Grand Slam tournaments on Sunday, May 30, the tennis star had to pay $15,000 for skipping her mandatory press conference.
Naomi, who currently ranks as the No. 2 player in the world, refuses to speak to the media after defeating 63rd-ranked Patricia Maria Tig on the first day of this year's French Open due to concerns about her mental health. In the statement, it was said that "the Roland-Garros teams asked her to reconsider her position and tried unsuccessfully to speak with her to check on her well-being, understand the specifics of her issue and what might be done to address it on site."
"Following the lack of engagement by Naomi Osaka, the Australian Open, Roland-Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open jointly wrote to her to check on her well-being and offer support, underline their commitment to all athletes’ well-being and suggest dialog on the issues. She was also reminded of her obligations, the consequences of not meeting them and that rules should equally apply to all players," the statement added.
Noting that the athlete "chose not to honour her contractual media obligations. The Roland-Garros referee has therefore issued her a $15,000 fine, in keeping with article III H. of the Code of Conduct." The organization claimed that mental health of players was "the utmost importance to the Grand Slams," though they argued that they "need engagement from the players to understand their perspective and find ways to improve their experiences."
Naomi then took to Twitter to respond to the fine. "anger is a lack of understanding. change makes people uncomfortable," so she wrote on the blue bird app.
Her sister Mari also spoke up about the matter in a message on Reddit, explaining that Naomi's refusal to speak with media started with criticism over her performance on clay surfaces. In the now-deleted post, Mari wrote, "Naomi mentioned to me before the tournament that a family member had come up to her and remarked that she's bad at clay. At every press conference she's told she's had a bad record on clay. When she lost in Rome r1 she was not ok mentally."
"Her confidence was completely shattered and I think that everyone's remarks and opinions have gotten to her head and she herself believed that she was bad on clay," she went on to say.
