PARIS (AP) — Naomi Osaka says on Twitter “the best thing for the tournament” is if she withdraws from the French Open. Osaka is a four-time Grand Slam champion and former No. 1-ranked player. She had declared she would not speak to the media during Roland Garros and was fined $15,000 after she skipped the post-match news conference following her first-round victory Sunday. On Monday she tweeted: “I think now the best thing for the tournament, the other players and my well-being is that I withdraw so that everyone can get back to focusing on the tennis going on in Paris.”
— NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) May 31, 2021
She also wrote that she has “suffered long bouts of depression” since the 2018 U.S. Open, which she won by beating Serena Williams in a final filled with controversy.