The way those in power reacted wasn’t good: Lewis Hamilton on Naomi Osaka’s French Open withdrawal
The 23-year-old four-time Grand Slam winner withdrew from the tournament on Monday. Naomi Osaka in action during round one of French Open 2021 | AFP
Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton hailed Naomi Osaka’s “bravery” for pulling out of the French Open after the fallout over her decision to not engage with media and criticised the way Roland Garros handled the issue.
The 23-year-old four-time Grand Slam winner withdrew from the tournament on Monday after being fined and threatened with disqualification for not honouring mandatory media commitments, claiming they were detrimental to her mental health.
Naomi Osaka in action at Roland Garros 2021 | AFP
Late on Monday night in Paris, when the first round action at Roland Garros was ongoing, Naomi Osaka announced her withdrawal from the tournament following the fall-out from her decision to boycott media activity at the Grand Slam, saying she has “suffered long bouts of depression” and needed to “take some time away from the court”.
It was an unsavoury end to an episode that escalated in the first two days of the Grand Slam after the 23-year-old announced last week that she would not be doing the mandatory press conferences at Roland Garros. She had said then that they had a detrimental effect on her mental health and even in her original statement, accepted that she would pay the fine instead.