PARIS • Despite facing expulsion from the French Open over a controversial media boycott, Naomi Osaka and her closest allies stood their ground yesterday with no sign of a resolution to what is becoming a bitter power struggle within the sport.
The Japanese star has already been fined US$15,000 (S$19,800) for not honouring media commitments following her opening-round win at Roland Garros on Sunday.
All four Grand Slams closed ranks to threaten her with potential suspension from future Majors if she does not relent.
In a now-deleted tweet, French Open organisers also seemingly took potshots at Osaka when the tournament posted pictures of Kei Nishikori, Aryna Sabalenka, Rafael Nadal and Coco Gauff all smiling under the caption: "They understood the assignment."
But there is little indication that the 23-year-old, who claims press conferences are damaging for her mental health, intends to back down.
"Anger is a lack of understanding. Change makes people uncomfortable," the four-time Slam champion tweeted after hearing of her sanction.
Wim Fissette, her Belgian coach, defended the world No. 2, saying the Australian and US Open champion was "concerned with fundamental issues - she wants to bring about change".
"Naomi has the opportunity to use her status to address problems and to initiate things," he told German magazine Der Spiegel yesterday.
"In the United States, athletes want more freedom in dealing with the press, so they are simply not threatened right away with punishment if they don't feel well for a day."
The stand-off, which could come to a head tomorrow when she plays her second-round match against Ana Bogdan, has sparked feverish reaction.
In a now-deleted post on Reddit, Osaka's sister, Mari, wrote that the press had constantly harped on the former world No. 1's poor record on clay - she has yet to win a WTA Tour title on the surface and not advanced past the third round in Paris - and so she decided "not (to) talk to people who is (sic) going to put doubt in her mind".
"She's protecting her mind hence why it's called mental health," Mari added.
But her comments led to backlash as critics questioned why Osaka was using "mental health" as an excuse to avoid scrutiny of her on-court efforts.
Media personality Piers Morgan tweeted it was "pathetic" and told Osaka "to get over yourself".
Mari, a former Tour player, later wrote a follow-up post, saying: "My message has gone horribly wrong with people struggling for mental health... Now people are reacting like 'she can't stand criticism'. Sorry Naomi, I probably made it worse."
US tennis legend Billie Jean King has attempted to strike a conciliatory tone, claiming the press, while playing a crucial role in the sport, "needs to respect certain boundaries".
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
