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The French Open, plus the three other Grand Slam tournaments, issued a joint statement Sunday announcing that world No. 2 Naomi Osaka has been fined $15,000 for skipping her media obligations following her Round 1 win against Patricia Maria Țig at Roland-Garros. Osaka was also warned about the consequences of continuing to skip media sessions, which could be a whole lot worse than a $15,000 fine.

Osaka said last week that she would not participate in any of her contractually mandated media obligations during the French Open due to mental health concerns.

 

Grand Slams warn Osaka of greater consequences

According to the statement, Roland-Garros first reached out to Osaka to discuss her concerns, and when it was unable to speak with her, all four Grand Slam organizations (the US Tennis Association, the All England Lawn Tennis Club, the French Tennis Federation and Tennis Australia) reached out to her.

Following [Osaka's] announcement, 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.