Paris: World number 1, Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from the French Open 2021. The Japanese star was fined $15,000 and was threatened to be disqualified from the tournament earlier as she missed a mandatory press conference citing "mental health" issues. “In Paris, I was already feeling vulnerable and anxious so I thought it was better to exercise self-care and skip the press conferences," said Osaka.
The tennis star from Japan was being trolled after this decision of hers to not participate in the grand slam. Many are comparing her to Meghan Markle who had faced a similar backlash with the western media. Many public intellectuals and women rights activists are voicing out against the "harassment" of women of colour by the western media.
The entire issue turned into a controversy after Piers Morgan tweeted this:
Piers Morgan is an English broadcaster and a famous TV personality in England. Many in the media are also siding with Morgan's views as Osaka missed a mandatory press conference. A similar backlash was received by actress Meghan Markle.
Osaka has won four grand slams so far which include 2 Australian Open and 2 US Open titles. She had withdrawn from the semi-final once before as well.
In the statement released by Naomi Osaka, she wrote: “I never wanted to be a distraction and I accept that my timing was not ideal and my message could have been clearer.
“The truth is I have suffered bouts of depression since the U.S. Open in 2018 and I have had a really hard time coping with that.”
She added: “In Paris, I was already feeling vulnerable and anxious so I thought it was better to exercise self-care and skip the press conferences.
“I announced it preemptively because I do feel like the rules are quite outdated in parts and I wanted to highlight that.”