Tennis superstar Naomi Osaka said Monday that she’s withdrawing from the French Open, days after announcing she would boycott the press at the tournament to protect her mental health. In her Instagram post Sunday, Osaka said she had privately apologized to French Open officials when she made her initial announcement about not speaking to the press. She said she told them she would be “more than happy” to speak with reporters after the tournament ended. In 2016, Venus Williams paid a $5,000 penalty to avoid discussing her early exit from the Australian Open. Other players, including Andre Agassi, Mats Wilander, Goran Ivanisevic, Victoria Azarenka and Yevgeny Kafelnikov, have also paid to skip press events.

Source: Huffington Post May 31, 2021 18:33 UTC