French Open organizers are standing by their “pragmatic” approach in how they dealt with four-time major champion Naomi Osaka during the tournament.

They detailed on Sunday how they tried to engage with Osaka several times before she decided to withdraw from the tournament.

“What we did all together with the Slams, we had to do it,” French tennis federation president Gilles Moretton said at a news conference on the final day of the tournament. “We did the right choice, even if you feel like we shouldn’t say anything … regarding Naomi.”

Osaka withdrew from Roland Garros after she was fined $15,000 for skipping news conferences after her first-round victory. She was threatened by all four Grand Slam tournaments with further consequences if she continued to avoid the media.

Amelie Oudea-Castera, the French tennis federation director general said organizers had written to Osaka privately before the four Grand Slam tournaments publicly fined her and warned of possible additional punishment. 

Oudea-Castera said that the four tournaments were simply reminding Osaka of the rules.

“On the $15,000 fine, you noticed we did not want to put that fine at the maximum,” Oudea-Castera said. “On purpose, we only wanted to be at 15, because we wanted to send a message that we wouldn’t go to a default right away. We wanted to have a progressive escalation should she continue not to commit to her obligations.”

She also acknowledged that tennis officials “can do better” in dealing with players’ mental health issues.

CVC Capital Partners is in detailed negotiations about investing in a professional tennis tour that would combine the men’s and women’s tours under a single commercial entity.

First reported by Sky News, the report states that the former owner of Formula One motor racing is in talks about a $600 million deal that would accomplish a long-held ambition of executives throughout the sport.

The move would also help to accelerate the sport’s recovery from the pandemic, as last year’s Wimbledon tournament was canceled and the French Open, which is currently ongoing, is operating at a limited capacity.

CVC is reportedly looking for approval from the ATP and WTA boards later this month.

Supposedly, the plans have been in discussion for several months and would see the ATP and WTA’s commercial activities unified under the name OneTennis. The CVC would hold a minority interest, likely targeting greater investments in tournaments and player prize money, improved broadcast production capabilities and an enhanced global digital platform for tennis fans. 

The firm’s most recent sports deal was the purchase of a stake in the International Volleyball Federation’s commercial rights. They are also in negotiations to acquire a portion of the rights to Six Nations Rugby championship.

Bianca Anreescu is looking for a new coach, as the 2019 US Open champion has split with Sylvain Bruneau after four years.

The two “have mutually decided to end our incredible coaching relationship.”

“I am very grateful for everything we accomplished together and all of our great memories,” Andreescu wrote. Included in those memories is when a 19-year-old Andreescu beat Serena Williams in the US Open final to give Canada its first Grand Slam singles trophy.

Andreescu has dealt with various injuries since, appearing in only two major tournaments.

The move comes a week after the seventh-ranked Andreescu lost in the first round of the French Open to Slovenian Tamara Ziadnsek.

After pulling out of the French Open last week, Naomi Osaka has now withdrawn from next week’s Berlin WTA 5000 grass-court tournament.

“We have received notification Naomi Osaka cannot start in Berlin. After consulting her management, she will take a break,” Berlin event organizers said in a statement ahead of the tournament, which begins on June 14.

The decision has led to questions about whether or not the four-time Grand Slam champion and No. 2-ranked player in the world will compete at Wimbledon later this month. 

Osaka pulled out of the French Open citing mental health reasons, and has not revealed when she plans to play next with both Wimbledon and the Tokyo Olympics on the horizon.

Coco Gauff is on a roll.

The 17-year-old beat Ons Jabeur on Monday 6-3, 6-1, losing only nine points on her serve. She was also effective at the net, winning 13 of 17 points when she came forward. 

With the win, Gauff advanced to her first appearance in a Grand Slam quarterfinal.

“I feel like this has been the most consistent tennis I have played at this level,” Gauff said. “Hopefully I can keep that going.”

Next up Gauff will face Barbora Krejcikova, who will also be playing her first quarterfinal at a major. Krejcikova beat 2018 French runner-up Sloane Stephens in a blowout, winning in straight sets 6-2, 6-0.

The No. 1 ranked player Ash Barty has exited the French Open, retiring early from her second-round match against Magda Linette.

Barty suffered a left hip injury days before the tournament began and it was affecting her ability to move. Barty called for a medical timeout at the end of the opening set and briefly left the court for treatment.

The 2019 champion trailed 6-1, 2-2 when she signaled she would no longer be able to continue against Linette.

Barty is the third top-ranked player to exit the French Open this week. Naomi Osaka withdrew for mental health reasons and Petra Kvitova was forced to forfeit after twisting her ankle following a TV interview. Simona Halep has also been out with a hamstring injury.

The leaders of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments responded this week to Naomi Osaka’s withdrawal from the French Open.

The four-time major champion and No. 2-ranked player in the world was fined $15,000 after skipping the press conference on Sunday following her first-round victory at Roland-Garros. The next day, Osaka pulled out of the tournament entirely. In a social media post explaining her decision, Osaka said she has “suffered long bouts of depression” and experiences “huge waves of anxiety” before speaking to the media.

Osaka included that she would be “more than happy” to speak with the tournament after the event was over and welcomed the opportunity to work with the Tour on media obligations and protocols.

The leaders of the Grand Slam tournaments, who threatened possible disqualification or suspension for Osaka on Sunday if she continued to skip news conferences, vowed to address players’ concerns about mental health in a joint statement Tuesday.

“On behalf of the Grand Slams, we wish to offer Naomi Osaka our support and assistance in any way possible as she takes time away from the court. She is an exceptional athlete and we look forward to her return as soon as she deems appropriate,” the statement read. “Mental health is a very challenging issue, which deserves our utmost attention. It is both complex and personal, as what affects one individual does not necessarily affect another. We commend Naomi for sharing in her own words the pressures and anxieties she is feeling and we empathize with the unique pressures tennis players may face.”

The issue has opened up a widespread debate about how to balance media obligations and athletes’ mental health. Many athletes have spoken out in support of Osaka, including Serena Williams.

Venus Williams addressed the issue in a press conference Tuesday, saying that each person handles media attention and duties differently.

“For me, personally, how I deal with it was that I know every single person asking me a question can’t play as well as I can and never will, so no matter what you say or what you write, you’ll never light a candle to me,” Williams said. “So that’s how I deal with it. But each person deals with it differently.”

Gael Monfils, world No. 15, said in his post-match press conference Tuesday that he could relate to Osaka’s concerns but also that the sport of tennis needs Osaka.

“We need Naomi. We need her definitely to be 100 percent,” Monfils said. “We need her back on the court, back (at) the press conference — and back happy.”

Venus Williams and Coco Gauff’s run in doubles at the French Open didn’t last long.

Facing off against No. 13 seeds Ellen Perez and Zheng Saisai in the first round Wednesday, Williams and Gauff won their first set 7-6(5) before dropping the next two 6-4, 6-3.

Their pairing was announced Sunday to the delight of many tennis fans. While it’s the first time they’ve played together, Williams and Gauff have faced off twice before at Wimbledon in 2019 and at the Australian Open in 2020. Gauff got the better of Williams each time.

With the loss, Williams’ time at the French Open comes to an end. The 40-year-old also lost her first-round singles match Tuesday, falling in straight sets to Ekaterina Alexandrova. Gauff, meanwhile, won her first-round match against Aleksandra Krunić and will face Wang Qiang in the second round of the singles tournament.

Nike and other major sponsors of Osaka’s have come out in support of her decision to withdraw from the French Open, as first reported by CNN.

Osaka signed a sponsorship deal with Nike in 2019. On Monday, the company applauded the star for opening up about her struggles with depression and anxiety.

“Our thoughts are with Naomi. We support her and recognize her courage in sharing her own mental health experience,” Nike said.

Other sponsors joined the calls of support.

“Naomi Osaka’s decision reminds us all how important it is to prioritize personal health and well-being,” Mastercard said in a statement. “We support her and admire her courage to address important issues, both on and off the court.”

Swiss luxury watchmaker TAG Heuer said that it supports its brand ambassadors “in triumph but also during challenging periods.”

“Naomi is going through difficult times and we truly hope to see her back soon. She is a great champion and we are convinced that she will come out of this period stronger, be it professionally or personally,” the company said in a statement.

Many of Osaka’s Japanese sponsors also joined in. Japanese automaker Nissan issued their statement of support, writing in a statement, “We support the right of our ambassadors to express themselves and stand by her decision.”

All Nippon Airways, a Tokyo-based airline, said that it would continue to support Osaka “as a sponsor.”

Sweetgreen, a US restaurant chain of which Osaka is a brand ambassador and investor, said: “Our partnership with Naomi is rooted in wellness in all its forms. We support her in furthering the conversation around mental health and are proud to have her as part of the Sweetgreen team.”

Osaka’s decision to withdrawal has been applauded athletes across sports. Additionally, the four Grand Slam tournaments issued a release promising to address concerns related to athletes’ mental health.

American teenager Coco Gauff is continuing her dominant clay streak. 

Gauff, 17, erased set points before pulling out the opening tiebreaker against Aleksandra Krunic in her first-round matchup. She would go on to beat Krunic 7-6 (11), 6-4 Tuesday at the French Open, marking her first match win as a seeded player at any Grand Slam tournament. 

Gauff was the junior tournament champion at Roland-Garros three years ago at the age of 14.

Next up is Wang Qiang, who Gauff beat in straight sets in the final of the Emilia-Romagna Open in Parma, Italy on Saturday, giving Gauff her first clay-court singles title. It also pushed her up to No. 25 in the WTA rankings, making her the youngest American woman to make her Top 25 debut since Serena Williams in 1998. 

With the win, Gauff is now 13-3 on clay this season.