World number one Novak Djokovic hailed Naomi Osaka as "brave and bold" for withdrawing from the French Open and revealing her struggles with anxiety and depression but admitted he wasn't surprised she had been threatened with a Grand Slam ban. "I support her. I think she was very brave to do that. I'm really sorry that she is going through painful times and suffering mentally," said Djokovic on Tuesday. 

"This was, I must say, a very bold decision from her side. If she needs to take time and reflect and just recharge that's what she needed to do, and I respect it fully. I hope that she'll come back stronger." Osaka, the 23-year-old world number two, and four-time major winner, said she will take a break from tennis, putting her participation at Wimbledon and her home Olympics at risk. She was fined USD 15,000 and threatened with disqualification from Roland Garros after she refused to honour mandatory media commitments. She claims they are detrimental to her mental health and likened the traditional post-match news conference to "kicking people when they're down". Osaka said her mental health struggles began in 2018 when she won the first of her four majors at the US Open in a controversial final against Serena Williams.