What are the odds?
Shortly before Naomi Osaka announced she would be withdrawing from The French Open, Petra Kvitova suffered a freak press conference accident that has now ended her tournament.
There has been a lot of focus on the women’s singles championship at Roland Garros, this year, after Osaka refused to take part in the stipulated post-match press conferences.
Osaka, born in Japan but raised in the USA, stood by her pre-tournament vow not to partake in any press conferences – citing they were bad for her mental health – and was duly fined $20,000, and threatened with expulsion.
As a media furore gathered pace, and with authorities taking a hard line, Osaka withdrew from the event on Monday evening.
Naomi Osaka withdrew from this year’s French Open. (Photo by TPN/Getty Images)Around the same time, Kvitova was coming to terms with the news that her tournament was likely over. The two-time Wimbledon champion won her first round match, on Sunday, but had a freak fall when attending a post-match press conference.
Kvitova, who twice reached the semi-finals at Roland Garros, took to Twitter this afternoon to confirm the bad news:
‘It is with great disappointment that I announce my withdrawal from Roland Garros.
‘During my post-match press requirements on Sunday I fell and hurt my ankle.
“Unfortunately after an MRI and much discussion with my team, I have made the tough decision that it would be unwise to play on it. It’s incredibly bad luck, but I will stay strong and do my best to recover in time for the grass-court season.’
Kvitova was due to take on Elena Vesnina in the second round. The unseeded Russian will now advance to the third round.
The loss of Kvitova and Osaka in a short space of time, both due to press conferences, is a major blow for tournament organisers.
Last year’s French Open was delayed by over four months, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but took place in front of sparsely-populated stands in September and October 2020.
