BEVERLY HILLS, June 01, (THEWILL) – Former world number one tennis player and an icon of the female game Serena Williams returned to winning ways in her first round match at Roland Garros with an emphatic second set to take a straight sets 7-6(6) 6-2 victory over Irina-Camelia Begu.
Williams had to dig deep in the first set against the Romanian on Monday night. It was after the 23-time Grand Slam champion took the first set that her confidence returned to get through the second in a much improved and convincing display.
As relieving as it was for the 39-year-old to pass the first test on the challenging surface, the attention soon turned to the subject of the withdrawal of the second highest ranked female tennis player in the world, Naomi Osaka, from the French Open.
Osaka, who kept to her decision not to attend post-match press conferences due to mental health concerns, was fined $15,000 for failing to meet her media requirements at Roland Garros and was threatened with stiffer repressions if she continued to miss the conferences.
As reported by THEWILL, seeing that her boycott of the media meet was constituting a distraction, Osaka decided that the best course of action to take was to withdraw from the French Open to prevent it from escalating any further than it already had just after her very first match.
When asked, Williams had nothing but sympathy for her fellow Grand Slam champion: “The only thing I feel is that I feel for Naomi. I feel like I wish I could give her a hug because I know what it’s like. Like I said, I’ve been in those positions.
“You just have to let her handle it the way she wants to, in the best way she thinks she can, and that’s the only thing I can say. I think she’s doing the best she can.”
Osaka released a statement explaining her decision on Twitter. It read: “I think now the best thing for the tournament, the other players and my well-being 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 that my timing was not ideal and my message could have been clearer. More importantly I would never trivialize mental health or use the term lightly. The truth is that I have suffered long bouts of depression since the US Open in 2018 and I have had a really hard time coping with that.”
Her openness about her mental health frailties resonated with a lot of people. Williams said there was a need for players (and people generally) to “step forward and make an effort” when seeking help with their mental health, mentioning the help she herself has been able to receive.
As she withdrew on Monday, Osaka explained that she had privately apologised to Roland Garros and would like to “discuss ways we can make things better for the players, press and fans” sometime later.
Gilles Moretton, President of the French Tennis Federation (FFT) released a statement after Osaka withdrew. It read: “First and foremost, we are sorry and sad for Naomi Osaka. The outcome of Naomi withdrawing from Roland-Garros is unfortunate. We wish her the best and the 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’ well-being and to continually improving every aspect of players’ experience in our Tournament, including with the Media, like we have always strived to do.”
Osaka found sympathy and understanding with some female tennis greats apart from Williams. Billie Jean King, the American former World number one professional tennis player, who won 39 Grand Slam titles playing singles and doubles and who often represented the United States in the Federation Cup and the Wightman Cup offered some consolation.
Through her official Twitter account (@BillieJeanKing), she posted: “It’s incredibly brave that Naomi Osaka has revealed her truth about her struggle with depression. Right now, the important thing is that we give her the space and time she needs. We wish her well.”
Also chiming in was Belarusian Victoria Azarenka, the former would number one professional tennis player, who climbed to the top ranking for the first time on 30 January 2012 and held that top ranking for a combined total of 51 weeks. From her account (@vika7), she posted: “The challenge today is to convince people of the value of truth, honesty, compassion and a concern for others.”
Cori “Coco” Gauff, the American female tennis player, who is the youngest player ranked in the top 100 by the Women’s Tennis Association, replied to Osaka’s post through her Twitter (@CocoGauff) with a brief: “stay strong”, a heart emoji and the words, “I admire your vulnerability.”
It was not only female tennis stars that reacted to console Osaka. Alexander Zverev, the German professional tennis player, who has been ranked as high as number three in the world by the Association of Tennis Professionals, and has been a permanent fixture in the top 10 since July 2017, said: “I am very surprised. You see those superstars out there – how many thousands of players have done press conferences in the past but not every player is the same, not every human being is the same.
“Everybody has different emotional feelings and conditions. She is a superstar champion, a Grand Slam champion. That’s the result; she decided to take a step back and that she needs some time off.”
Of all, William’s support is significantly notable. The both of them, Osaka and Williams, are two of the biggest stars in the entire sport. Osaka has not disguised how much she idolises the American legend, who she famously defeated in the 2018 U.S. Open final that they contested.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
