Lewis Hamilton has given his backing to the “incredibly brave” Naomi Osaka and taken aim at French Open organisers for fining her, as F1’s world champion said young sportspeople needed more support dealing with the media.
Ahead of the French Open, four-time Grand Slam champion Osaka said she would not speak to the press during the event to protect her mental health.
She was fined $15,000 by organisers after not appearing in the press conference following her first-round win at Roland Garros last Sunday.
The 23-year-old subsequently withdrew from the tournament, explaining her reasons and revealing she had “suffered long bouts of depression” since winning her first Grand Slam title in 2018.