“I announced it preemptively because I do feel like the rules are quite outdated in parts and I wanted to highlight that.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 gonna 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.”
The French Open also deleted a post on its Twitter feed prior to the Japanese star’s withdrawal which praised players for attending media conferences as Osaka’s press boycott continued to overshadow the Grand Slam.
The tweet showed pictures of Rafa Nadal, Kei Nishikori, Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff engaging with the media along with the caption: “They understood the assignment.”
