Naomi Osaka given $15,000 fine for missing press conference, warned that repeat violations could lead to "default from the tournament"

World No. 2 Naomi Osaka has been slapped with a hefty $15,000 fine by Roland Garros for failing to appear for her press conference after her first-round win over Patricia Maria Tig on Sunday.

This was largely expected, given Osaka's recent announcement that she would forego all of her press conferences in Paris for the sake of her mental health. But in a more startling development, it has come to light that the Japanese could risk getting defaulted from the tournament altogether if she continues ignoring her media obligations.

To make matters worse, Naomi Osaka could also receive more substantial fines and future Grand Slam suspensions if an investigation is carried out against her.

Roland Garros, in consultation with the other three Slams, issued the following statement regarding Naomi Osaka soon after her win on Sunday:

"We have advised Naomi Osaka 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," the statement read. "As might be expected, repeat violations attract tougher sanctions including default from the tournament (Code of Conduct article III T.) and the trigger of a major offense investigation that could lead to more substantial fines and future Grand Slam suspensions (Code of Conduct article IV A.3.)."

Statement from Grand Slam tournaments regarding Naomi Osaka.#RolandGarros

— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 30, 2021

The organizers further highlighted the specific rule that Naomi Osaka broke by not attending her press conference.

"Naomi Osaka today chose not to honor her contractual media obligations," the statement said. "The Roland-Garros referee has therefore issued her a $15,000 fine, in keeping with article III H. of the Code of Conduct."

"The Roland-Garros teams asked Naomi Osaka to reconsider her position & tried unsuccessfully to speak with her to check on her well-being" - Tournament organizers

2021 French Open - Day One

The official statement released by Roland Garros further stated that the organizers have offered help to Naomi Osaka to try and understand her problems and perhaps find a solution to them. However, the wording of the comment suggests they have not been able to get Osaka to agree to a dialogue thus far.

"Following this announcement (Osaka's decision to forego pressers), the Roland-Garros teams asked her to reconsider her position and tried unsuccessfully to speak with her to check on her well-being, understand the specifics of her issue and what might be done to address it on site," the statement read.

In fact, all the four Majors wrote to Naomi Osaka to check on her mental well-being. They also reminded her of her media obligations and the consequences of not attending press conferences.

"Following the lack of engagement by Naomi Osaka, the Australian Open, Roland-Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open jointly wrote to her to check on her well-being and offer support, underline their commitment to all athletes’ well-being and suggest dialog on the issues," the statement added. "She was also reminded of her obligations, the consequences of not meeting them and that rules should equally apply to all players."

Roland Garros went on to assert that they give utmost importance to the mental health of all players.

"The mental health of players competing in our tournaments and on the Tours is of the utmost importance to the Grand Slams," the statement read.

It remains to be seen how Osaka reacts to this latest development. Many in the tennis community believe she might end the boycott if it comes to getting defaulted from Roland Garros.

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