French Open 2021: Will Naomi Osaka be disqualified over media boycott?

Naomi Osaka of Japan is a four-time Grand Slam champion but has never won the French Open. She decided to boycott the media at Roland Garros this year but is facing disqualification from the organisers, having already been fined $15,000.

Second seed and reigning world number two, Naomi Osaka of Japan, has seemingly landed herself in trouble following her opening win in the 2021 French Open at Roland Garros in Paris on Monday. Before the tournament went underway, she declared that she would not face the media due to mental health issues.

Osaka won her opening game of the event on Monday, beating Romania's Patricia Maria Țig in straight sets, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4). However, as she missed her media obligations following the match, she was imposed a fine of $15,000 by the organisers.

"We have advised Naomi Osaka that should she continue to ignore her media obligations, she would be exposing herself to possible further code of conduct infringement consequences. As might be expected, repeat violations attract tougher sanctions, including default from the tournament and the trigger of a major offence investigation that could lead to more substantial fines and future Grand Slam suspensions," said the organisers in a statement, reports AFP.

"She was also reminded of her obligations, the consequences of not meeting them and that rules should equally apply to all players. Naomi Osaka today chose not to honour her contractual media obligations. The Roland Garros referee has therefore issued her a $15,000 fine," the statement added.

Following the same, Osaka agreed only to the on-court interview. "For me, playing on clay is a work in progress. Hopefully, the more I play, the better I will become," she said. On Sunday, she had sent out a tweet, stating, "Anger is a lack of understanding. Change makes people uncomfortable."

Meanwhile, French Open had posted a tweet on the same, which involved the picture of Rafael Nadal, Kei Nishikori, Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff speaking to the media. At the same time, it was captioned, "They understood the assignment." However, following widespread criticism from fans, the tweet was later deleted.

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