Withdrawals, shots at organisers and Djokovic fans boo as French Open reaches conclusion
Naomi Osaka: Pundits discuss French Open withdrawal
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The French Open draws to a close later today after three action-packed weeks at Roland Garros. This year’s edition of the Grand Slam tournament has produced many memorable and crazy moments which have both delighted and infuriated tennis fans.
That craziness started before the tournament had even got underway, with Naomi Osaka announcing she would not be conducting press conferences for the duration of the Grand Slam.
As a result, she was fined $15,000 for not speaking to the press after her win in the first round, with the four-time Grand Slam champions even threatened with expulsion from the tournament.
Osaka stated that speaking to the press triggered bouts of anxiety and withdrew from the tournament before her second-round match.
“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,” she said in a statement.
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Osaka was not the only star to withdraw from the Grand Slam, with Roger Federer pulling out ahead of his fourth-round match against Matteo Berrettini.
The tennis icon withdrew in order to protect his body from injury, having entered the tournament on the back of two knee surgeries.
The Swiss star had made it clear he was using the tournament for match practice ahead of the summer season, with a gruelling win against Dominik Koepfer proving to be his last match.
“I am thrilled to have gotten three matches under my belt. There is no greater feeling than being back on court,” Federer said.
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Perhaps what made this one of the strangest editions of the French Open in memory was the coronavirus restrictions in force in France.
A curfew was in force from 9pm, with citizens only allowed to leave home for essential reasons, though organisers curiously decided to also schedule one of the start times at this point as well.
That included Daniil Medvedev’s quarter-final defeat to Stefanos Tsitsipas, with the Russian infuriated the match had been pushed back so it could be screened on Amazon Prime.
“Our match was definitely the match of the day, so Roland Garros preferred Amazon to people. It’s easy as that,” he said.
Medvedev was not the only who was angry about the curfew, with fans booing when they were forced to leave before the end of Novak Djokovic’s quarter-final against Berrettini.
At the end of third set, with the score 6-3 6-2 6-7 (5-7) to Djokovic, play was stopped so fans could leave, with loud boos reigning down from the stands.
Fans had earlier booed at latecomers, with the match being played in front of a boisterous crowd until the curfew came into force.
The 125th edition of the French Open will come to an end at some point on Sunday evening, to bring the curtain down on one of the most memorable tournaments in recent history.
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