French Open: Naomi Osaka to boycott media for mental health reasons

Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka has made the bold decision to boycott the media during the upcoming French Open in Roland Garros. She cited mental health concerns as her motivation behind the decision.

Osaka took to her personal Twitter account to share the statement on Wednesday. "I'm writing this to say I'm not going to do any press during Roland Garros. I've often felt that people have no regard for athletes' mental health and this rings true whenever I see a press conference or partake in one."

The four-time Grand Slam winner went on to share exactly how she feels about facing the press during tournaments. "We're often sat there and asked questions that we've been asked multiple times before or asked questions that bring doubt into our minds and I'm just not going to subject myself to people that doubt me," she added.

The 23-year-old said that she has a friendly relationship with most of the journalists who cover the tour, and her decision is nothing personal against them nor the tournament. However, she slammed the regulations which force players to face the press or be subjected to hefty fines.

In particular, she pointed out situations where players are forced to speak to the press after suffering a devastating loss on court just moments before. She referred to this as a practice of "kicking a person while they're down."

Osaka completed her statement by saying that she hopes the "considerable amount" that she will be fined for boycotting the press will be used towards a mental health charity. To further drive her point, Osaka tweeted a video of the former Seattle Seahawks running back, Marshawn Lynch, who said "I'm just here so I won't get fined" at a press conference.

The French Open will officially start on May 30, and will be played until June 13, 2021. Osaka will be aiming to make it past the third round for the first time.