Tag: Naomi Osaka

Naomi Osaka was fined $15,000 on the French Open for skipping a post-match information convention after her first-round victory Sunday — and threatened by all 4 Grand Slam tournaments with stiffer penalties, together with being defaulted, if she continues to keep away from assembly with the media.
The positive will come out of Osaka’s prize cash and was introduced in a joint assertion from the president of the French tennis federation, Gilles Moretton, and the heads of the opposite majors.
Osaka returned to Roland Garros after skipping the journey final time, handing over a mistake-filled 6-4, 7-6 (4) victory over 63rd-ranked Patricia Maria Tig at Court Philippe Chatrier on Day 1 in Paris.
After the 2020 French Open was pushed to a September begin with a restrict of 1,000 spectators per day due to the coronavirus outbreak, issues have been nearer to regular Sunday: It was a sun-kissed May day and greater than 5,000 followers have been allowed in.
Other outcomes maybe have been extra newsworthy than a straight-set win by the No. 2-ranked Osaka — that’s definitely the case for U.S. Open champion and two-time French Open runner-up Dominic Thiem’s 4-6, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 loss to 68th-ranked Pablo Andujar — however the occasions that unfolded after the Japanese famous person’s match have been of excessive curiosity.
That’s as a result of Osaka vowed in a Twitter publish Wednesday, after which saved that promise Sunday, to avoid the usual back-and-forth with the media in Paris, the form of factor athletes in varied sports activities do as a matter in fact. She framed it as a psychological well being concern, saying that it creates self-doubt to need to reply questions after a loss.
Players at Grand Slam tournaments are required to attend information conferences if requested to take action; refusing is punishable by fines of as much as $20,000.
That, in fact, will not be a giant deal to Osaka, the world’s highest-earning feminine athlete because of endorsement contracts value tens of tens of millions of {dollars} yearly.
“It’s her own choice. I think she’s capable of making her own choices and obviously she will do always what’s best for her,” Tig stated.
“I think that’s what’s happening now. It’s her choice of doing what she feels is best for her.”
The Grand Slam tournaments’ assertion stated Osaka has been “advised 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.”
Citing the rule e book, the assertion famous that “tougher sanctions from repeat violations could include default being disqualified from the tournament and the trigger of a major offense investigation that could lead to more substantial fines and future Grand Slam suspensions.”
Osaka’s agent didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark from the AP on Sunday.
The entire factor didn’t imply Osaka was capable of fully elude any query about her issues enjoying on pink clay, nonetheless. She did go forward with the perfunctory alternate of pleasantries with on-court interviewers who lob softball questions so spectators can hear one thing from match winners.
In that chat with former participant Fabrice Santoro, who’s hardly a journalist and kindly supplied to assist Osaka by carrying the flowers she was given by the match, the subject of the occasion’s floor truly did come up.
Osaka’s Grand Slam titles solely have come on arduous courts. She has gained the Australian Open twice, together with this yr, and the U.S. Open twice, together with final yr, however she by no means has been previous the third spherical on the French Open.
“I would say it’s a work in progress,” Osaka stated about her sport on clay.
“Hopefully the more I play, the better it will get.”
Osaka confirmed how Sunday: controlling factors along with her attacking sport. She gained 31 of 35 factors when her first serve landed in and gathered 39 winners — greater than twice as many as Tig’s 18.
Thiem had by no means misplaced within the first spherical in eight Roland Garros appearances and made it so far as the ultimate twice earlier than dropping to Rafael Nadal in 2018 and 2019.
Andujar, who beat Roger Federer on clay in Geneva this month, had by no means earlier than gained a match after dropping the preliminary two units.
Another previous Grand Slam champion, three-time title winner and former No. 1 Angelique Kerber, was crushed 6-2, 6-4 by Anhelina Kalinina, a qualifier from Ukraine ranked 139th and making her match debut.
Roland Garros thus stays the one Grand Slam title that Kerber hasn’t gained: She was the champion on the Australian Open and U.S. Open in 2016 and Wimbledon in 2018.