Japanese superstar Naomi Osaka was on Sunday threatened with disqualification from the French Open if she persists with her controversial media boycott, officials said.
\n\u201cWe 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,\u201d said a statement from the four Grand Slam tournaments after the world number two was fined $15,000.
\n\u201cRepeat 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.\u201d
\nOsaka, a four-time Grand Slam title winner and sport\u2019s highest-earning female athlete, was sanctioned for refusing to hold a press conference after her opening 6-4, 7-6 (7\/4) victory over Romanian world number 63 Patricia Maria Tig.
\nThe 23-year-old had said on the eve of the tournament that she would not carry out any media obligations, claiming news conferences are detrimental to her mental health. She likened traditional post-match inquests to \u201ckicking people when they\u2019re down\u201d.
\nFrench Tennis Federation president Gilles Moretton had described Osaka\u2019s vow of silence as \u201ca phenomenal error\u201d.
\nThe four Grand Slam events — Wimbledon, the French, Australian and US Opens — said they had written to Osaka \u201cto check on her well-being and offer support\u201d.
\n\u201cShe was also reminded of her obligations, the consequences of not meeting them and that rules should equally apply to all players.
\n\u201cNaomi Osaka today chose not to honour her contractual media obligations. The Roland Garros referee has therefore issued her a $15,000 fine.\u201d
\nLater on Sunday Osaka\u2019s position became more entrenched when she tweeted in response to her fine: \u201cAnger is a lack of understanding. Change makes people uncomfortable.\u201d
\nAfter her match, Osaka agreed only to a cursory on-court TV interview.
\n\u201cFor me, playing on clay is a work in progress,\u201d said the reigning US and Australian Open champion on a sun-kissed Court Philippe Chatrier. \u201cHopefully the more I play, the better I will become.\u201d
\nAnd that was that from a player who has now strung together 15 successive Grand Slam match wins.
\nThe Grand Slam Board said Osaka\u2019s refusal to take part in media duties put opponents at a disadvantage.
\n\u201cThere is nothing more important than ensuring no player has an unfair advantage over another, which unfortunately is the case in this situation if one player refuses to dedicate time to participate in media commitments while the others all honour their commitments.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Japanese superstar Naomi Osaka was on Sunday threatened with disqualification from the French Open if she persists with her controversial media boycott, officials said. \u201cWe 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,\u201d said a statement from […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-195152","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\n