French Tennis Federation president Gilles Moretton said he is expecting Naomi Osaka to return to Roland Garros next year after Japanese world No. 2 player withdrew from the Grand Slam due to mental health.
A dramatic turn of events for a four-time Grand Slam champion who said she experiences 'huge waves of anxiety' before speaking to the media and revealed she has 'suffered long bouts of depression'.
Osaka announced Wednesday in a Twitter post that she would not be taking part in news conferences during the French Open
Osaka returned to Roland Garros after skipping the trip last time, turning in a mistake-filled 6-4, 7-6 (4) victory over 63rd-ranked Patricia Maria Tig at Court Philippe Chatrier on Day 1 of the Grand Slam tournament.
The No. 2-ranked Osaka has said she won't participate in news conferences at Roland Garros — and she did not do a pre-tournament session with the media.
Having never progressed beyond the fourth round of a women's major, 19-year-old Iga broke through for her maiden Grand Slam title last year, upstaging American Sofia Kenin at the French Open in Paris.
Japanese sensation Naomi this week said that she would not face the media at Roland Garros as "people have no regard for athletes' mental health" during press conferences.
Naomi's total earnings amounted to $55.2 million, of which $5.2 million was from prize money, the highest payday ever for a female athlete.
The French Open is scheduled to begin Sunday in Paris. Osaka heads into the clay-court tournament ranked No. 2 in the world.
The second-ranked tennis player, who represents Japan, was asked about the games at the Italian Open on Sunday.
In another interesting quarter-final match-up, No. 1 seed from Australia, Ashleigh Barty could face Aryna Sabalenka in a rematch of the Stuttgart and Madrid Open finals.
The rising Czech captured her third win over a top-5 player this season, and her 10th top-5 win in her career overall, with her one-hour and 49-minute victory over reigning Australian Open champion Osaka.
No. 23-seeded Maria Sakkari upset Osaka 6-0, 6-4 in the quarterfinals of the Miami Open.
Osaka, ranked No. 2, has won 22 consecutive matches since her most recent defeat in February 2020, and she earned her fourth Grand Slam title at the Australian Open last month.
As Japanese player Naomi prepares to compete on home soil, she talks about the recent appointment of Seiko Hashimoto at the head of the Tokyo 2020 organising committee.
Jennifer Brady, the 25-year-old American who was the runner-up to Osaka, jumped 11 spots to No. 13, her first time inside the Top 20.
Naomi Osaka has won 19 consecutive matches but none of those wins came against Serena Williams.
Williams claimed the last five games and beat No. 2 seed Simona Halep 6-3, 6-3 in the quarterfinals despite 33 unforced errors
Osaka earned her 19th victory in a row by overpowering Hsieh Su-wei 6-2, 6-2, and will next meet the winner of the quarterfinal between Williams and No. 2-seeded Simona Halep.
Naomi Osaka is back in the fourth round of the Australian Open for the first time since her title run in 2019.
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