Naomi Osaka pulls out of Berlin tournament, Wimbledon status in question

World No. 2 Naomi Osaka generated headlines when she withdrew from the French Open after she was fined $15,000 and threatened with disqualification for refusing to speak with media members following a first-round victory. 

The 23-year-old cited mental health reasons for her press boycott, and organizers for next week's Berlin WTA 5000 grass-court tournament confirmed Osaka also won't play there. This latest development raises questions about if the four-time Grand Slam champion will compete at Wimbledon later this month. 

"We have received notification Naomi Osaka cannot start in Berlin. After consulting her management, she will take a break," Berlin event organizers explained in a prepared statement, per Reuters (h/t The Guardian). 

Osaka, meanwhile, thanked supporters via her Instagram story on Saturday. 

"Just want to thank you for all the love," she wrote. "Haven’t been on my phone much but I wanted to hop on here and tell you all that I really appreciate it." 

While Osaka received plenty of encouragement from pockets of players and fans, multiple individuals and commentators responded that talking to the press is part of the job for WTA and ATP Tour professionals. It remains unclear if Osaka will travel for the Wimbledon tournament that starts June 28 or play in the Summer Olympics held in her home country of Japan.