Tennis!

[Bobfoc]

Novak Djokovic is a ridiculously good player.

[gunnar hendershow]

He's probably going to get to 20 Grand Slams by the end of the year barring injury. Beyond Nadal at Roland Garros nobody can touch him right now.

[Adam]

It's a shame he's a bit of a dick. Between him and the injuries to Murray and Federer in recent years I've really fallen out of love with men's tennis.

[Lineker]

Quote

World number two Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from the French Open after the controversy over her refusal to speak to the media at the tournament.

In a tweet announcing the move, Japan's Osaka also said she had "suffered long bouts of depression" since winning her first Grand Slam title in 2018.

The 23-year-old said last week she would not do news conferences at Roland Garros to protect her mental health.

"I never wanted to be a distraction," the four-time major winner said.

On Sunday, Osaka won her opening match against Romania's Patricia Maria Tig in straight sets and was fined $15,000 (£10,570) for not doing post-match media.

Later that day, a joint statement from Grand Slam organisers said Osaka could face expulsion from the tournament if she continued to avoid them.

That led to the player announcing her withdrawal on Monday, saying she was going to "take some time away from the court now".

"When the time is right I really want to work with the Tour to discuss ways we can make things better for the players, press and fans," she added.

French Tennis Federation president Gilles Moretton said the withdrawal of the second seed was "unfortunate".

"We are sorry and sad for Naomi," Moretton added. "We wish her the best and quickest possible recovery, and we look forward to having Naomi at our tournament next year.

"As all the Grand Slams, the WTA, the ATP and the ITF, we remain very committed to all athletes' wellbeing and to continually improving every aspect of players' experience in our tournament, including with the media, like we have always strived to do."

"This isn't a situation I ever imagined or intended when I posted a few days ago. I think now the best thing for the tournament, the other players and my wellbeing is that I withdraw so that everyone can get back to focusing on the tennis going on in Paris.

"I never wanted to be a distraction and I accept my timing was not ideal and my message could have been clearer. More importantly, I would never trivialise mental health or use the term lightly.

"The truth is I have suffered long bouts of depression since the US Open in 2018 and I have had a really hard time coping with that.

"Anyone that knows me knows I am introverted and anyone that has seen me at tournaments will notice that I'm often wearing headphones as that helps dull my social anxiety.

"Though the tennis press has always been kind to me (and I want to apologise to all the cool journalists who I may have hurt), I am not a natural public speaker and get huge waves of anxiety before I speak to the world's media.

"I get really nervous and find it stressful to always try to engage and give you the best answers I can.

"So here in Paris I was already feeling vulnerable and anxious, so I thought it was better to exercise self-care and skip the press conferences. I announced it preemptively because I do feel like the rules are quite outdated in parts and I wanted to highlight that.

"I wrote privately to the tournament apologising and saying that I would be more than happy to speak with them after the tournament as the Slams are intense.

"I'm going to take some time away from the court now, but when the time is right I really want to work with the Tour to discuss ways we can make things better for the players, press and fans."

Many athletes, both in and out of tennis, applauded Osaka's stance after she announced it on Wednesday, although many said speaking to the media is "part of the job".

Grand Slam rules state players can be fined up to $20,000 (£14,160) for failing to meet their media obligations, with the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) saying players "have a responsibility to their sport and their fans" to speak to the media during competitions.

Following her win over Tig, Osaka did take part in the usual on-court interview with the victor.

Later on Sunday, organisers of the four Grand Slams released a joint statement saying Osaka could face "more substantial fines and future Grand Slam suspensions" for her decision.

The Grand Slams added that following Osaka's announcement on Wednesday, Roland Garros teams had asked her to reconsider her position and were unsuccessful in their attempts to check on her wellbeing.

After a "lack of engagement" from Osaka, the Grand Slam organisers wrote to her to offer support, as well as to "remind her of her obligations".

In response, the two-time Australian Open champion tweeted: "Anger is a lack of understanding. Change makes people uncomfortable".

The following day, Osaka announced her decision to withdraw from the tournament altogether.

 

[Adam]

It's an absolute disgrace that the powers governing tennis have allowed it to come to this point. Roland Garros and Tennis in general should be ashamed of themselves.

[gunnar hendershow]

Yet again people show their true colors when an athlete stands up and says "I'm not just here for your entertainment."

Good for Naomi, she's absolutely right. I truly hope this helps create change but it probably won't with a sport as openly conservative as tennis.

[JasonM]

Full respect for Osaka and her decision to withdraw, although I'm sure she'll be the first to tell you that it shouldn't have become so bad that withdrawal was the only option on the table.

In general mental health is an often overlooked and uncared for topic, and it shows in the reaction once more that people simply aren't able to show sympathy to people with mental health issues. I hope this wakes people up to be more considerate, but i'm not holding my breath to see it happen.

When your knee won't work, everyone's quick to be sympathetic and wish someone a speedy recovery. And it's high time to create more awareness for mental health. And in the case of athletics, not force a dog and pony show regardless of how the person involved handles it.

[Bobfoc]

Petra Kvitova has pulled out of the tournament. Ironically, it was because of an injury sustained during a media interview.

[Lineker]

There goes the World #1.

[gunnar hendershow]

Goodness, the women's draw is cursed.

[Bobfoc]

Cameron Norrie is through to the third round. He'll almost certainly face Rafael Nadal, so that ought to be the end of his run, but he's done himself proud. He's been in the form of his life recently.

[Lineker]

Federer already out in Halle.

[Bobfoc]

Britain's Cameron Norrie and Jack Draper will play each other in the quarter-finals at Queens. Both are playing well, so it's an intriguing prospect.

[gunnar hendershow]

2 hours ago, Lineker said:

Federer already out in Halle.

Noteworthy too because it's Felix Auger-Aliassime, who along with Tsistispas and a handful of others are expected to take the torch from the Big 3. Of course we had this discussion with a generation of tennis players 10 years ago and now they're all in their 30s with, I think without looking it up, 5 Grand Slams total to their names.

[Lineker]

Rafa Nadal has withdrawn from both Wimbledon and the Tokyo Olympics, in an effort to prolong his career.

[Chris2K]

Wimbledon starts tomorrow, and Jo Konta is the first of what I assume is going to be a few players withdrawing because she's been deemed a close contact of a COVID case.

[Bobfoc]

That's a big shame because she was playing well on grass. Judging by the French Open, the women's tournament should be really wide open, though.

As for the men's draw, with Nadal not competing and Federer still getting back into shape after surgery, it's hard to see past Djokovic again. Tsitsipas and Zverev ought to be his closest rivals, but Rublev and Berrettini have also looked good lately.

As much as I'd like to say that Andy Murray's a contender, he doesn't seem to have it in him over the course of multiple matches these days. I'd quite like to see him commit to a doubles partnership with Jamie.

[Baddar]

Jack Draper has taken the first set against Novak!

[Bobfoc]

19-year-old Jack Draper just took the first set against Djokovic. Tremendous achievement.

[Lineker]

Game, set, and match Djokovic.