Wimbledon won’t give Osaka special treatment

Wimbledon officials have offered Naomi Osaka their support but they insist she will not be given special treatment.

Japan’s Naomi Osaka withdrew from the French Open this week. Picture: Getty Images

Wimbledon officials have offered Naomi Osaka their support after being criticised for joining other grand slam tournaments in threatening the world No.2 with a suspension — but they insist she will not be given special treatment.

Osaka withdrew from the French Open after her first-round win citing concerns over her mental health after being fined nearly $20,000 and threatened with disqualification in a strong statement from tennis chiefs for her refusal to take part in press conferences.

In light of Osaka, 23, explaining that she had suffered “bouts of depression” for the past three years, the initial heavy-handed approach of the grand slams has been widely criticised. UK player Laura Robson was among several to question whether such a delicate issue warranted such a stern response from the sport’s ruling bodies.

“I think saying that she was potentially going to be defaulted was quite strong and maybe unnecessary,” the former British No.1 told the BBC. “Had the organisers known that she was suffering from depression, would they have gone out so strongly with a statement? Probably not.”

Osaka, who had made clear before the tournament that she would not take part in press conferences, is now on a break of unspecified length from the tour. Her name is on the entry list for Wimbledon for now, but a decision is expected within the next few days on whether she will return in time for the tournament starting on June 28.

A more conciliatory tone was noticeable a day later in another joint statement by the leaders of Wimbledon, the French Open, Australian Open and US Open. A commitment to make improvements to the players’ media requirements was offered, although it was stressed that these would apply to everyone, rather than Osaka alone.

“We wish to offer Naomi Osaka our support and assistance in any way possible as she takes time away from the court,” the statement read. “While players’ wellbeing has always been a priority to the grand slams, our intention, together with the WTA, the ATP and the ITF, is to advance mental health and wellbeing through further actions.

“Together as a community we will continue to improve the player experience at our tournaments, including as it relates to media. Change should come through the lens of maintaining a fair playing field, regardless of ranking or status. We intend to work alongside the players, the tours, the media and the broader tennis community to create meaningful improvements.”

Boris Becker believes Osaka’s career is potentially in jeopardy because of her mental health problems. The six-time grand slam champion, who won his first title as a 17-year-old at Wimbledon in 1985, has been on the end of intense media exposure for many years because of his turbulent personal life.

“She has cited that she is pulling out of the tournament altogether because she can’t cope with it,” Becker, who is a pundit for Eurosport’s French Open coverage, said.

“That raises much bigger questions for me because if she can’t cope with the media in Paris, she can’t cope with the media at Wimbledon and the US Open. I almost feel like her career is in danger because of mental health issues and that we should take that very seriously.”

THE TIMES