Four-times Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka yesterday (Wed) said she will not take questions from the press at this year’s French Open, saying the nature of news conferences puts an undue burden on players’ mental health.
Players can be fined up to US$20,000 for skipping a media conference at Grand Slams and Osaka said she hoped the “considerable amount” that she expected to be fined would go towards a mental health charity.
The 23 year old Japanese world number two, made headlines this week when sports business website Sportico reported she had earned $US55.2M over the past 12 months, a record haul for a female athlete.
French Open qualifiers are underway with the main draw set to start from Sunday at Roland Garros with the final scheduled on June 13.