The first day of the French Open has dropped a major bombshell in the women’s tournament with the Grand Slam Board saying that Naomi Osaka could possibly be excluded from the draw if she continues to not fulfil her media engagements.
In a joint-statement issued by the heads of all four Grand Slam tournaments, French Open officials said they ‘tried unsuccessfully’ to contact the world No.2 over her decision to not speak with the media. Last week Osaka issued a statement in which she said she will not be speaking to the press due to ‘mental health concerns.’ Although she did participate in an on-court interview following her first round win on Sunday.
Accusing Osaka of a ‘lack of engagement’ the Grand Slam Board has since written a letter to the tennis star in which they outline her obligations as a tennis player and the consequences of not conducting them.
“Naomi Osaka today chose not to honour her contractual media obligations. The Roland-Garros referee has therefore issued her a $15,000 fine, in keeping with article III H. of the Code of Conduct,” the board said.
“The mental health of players competing in our tournaments and on the Tours is of the utmost importance to the Grand Slams.”
The quartet of officials says they ‘need engagement from the players to understand their perspective and find ways to improve their experiences.’ Seemingly taking a swipe at the four-time Grand Slam champion over her alleged lack of communication.
“The facilitation of media to a broad array of channels, both traditional and digital, is a major contributor to the development and growth of our sport and the fan base of individual players,” the statement reads.
Even more extraordinary is that officials have publicly stated that should Osaka continue to not fulfil her media commitments she faces further disciplinary action. Including the possibility of being defaulted from the entire tournament. Something which has never happened in the history of the sport. Furthermore, she could also be penalized in the future Grand Slam tournaments. .
“We have advised Naomi Osaka that should she continue to ignore her media obligations during the tournament, 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 (Code of Conduct article III T.) and the trigger of a major offence investigation that could lead to more substantial fines and future Grand Slam suspensions (Code of Conduct article IV A.3.).”
The statement ends with each of the four majors saying they are committed to help improve the player experience but only through ‘respectful and constructive’ conversations.
Osaka has made no public comment on the statement.
