Women's tennis great Martina Navratilova on Monday said she was saddened by Naomi Osaka's decision to withdraw from the French Open following the controversy over her decision to boycott media obligations.
Four-time Grand Slam champion Osaka announced her decision on Monday, a day after being fined $15,000 for not attending a post-match media conference and threatened with expulsion after her first-round win.
The Japanese player, who cited the negative impact on her mental well-being caused by facing journalists at post-match press conferences as the reason for her boycott, wrote on Twitter that she had suffered from depression since 2018.