Serena Williams said she wishes she could give Naomi Osaka a hug after the Japanese star pulled out of the French Open

• Serena Williams has backed Naomi Osaka's decision to withdraw from the French Open.
• Osaka withdrew from Roland-Garros after being fined $15,000 for not attending a press-conference.
• "I wish I could give her a hug," Williams said when asked about Osaka's withdrawal.

Serena Williams has backed Naomi Osaka's decision to withdraw from the French Open and says she wishes she could give the Japanese star a hug.

Osaka withdrew from Roland-Garros on Monday after being fined $15,000 for not attending a press-conference following her first round win over Patricia Maria Țig on Sunday.

The 23-year-old had announced before the tournament that she would not be speaking to the media in order protect her mental health.

As well as announcing her withdrawal on Monday, Osaka also revealed she has been suffering from bouts of depression since 2018 and will now take some time away from the court.

"I have had a really hard time coping," she said, adding: "Here in Paris I was already feeling vulnerable and anxious so I thought it was better to exercise self-care and skip the press conferences."

-NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) May 31, 2021

Speaking on Osaka's withdrawal after her own first round win over Romania's Irina-Camelia Begu, Williams backed the Japanese star's decision.

"The only thing I feel is that I feel for Naomi," said the 23-time Grand Slam winner at a post-match press conference.

"I feel like I wish I could give her a hug because I know what it's like. Like I said, I've been in those positions.

"We have different personalities and people are different. Not everyone is the same," Williams continued. "I'm thick. Other people are thin. Everyone is different and everyone handles things differently.

"You just have to let her handle it the way she wants to, in the best way she thinks she can, and that's the only thing I can say.

"I think she's doing the best she can."

Osaka's decision not to attend press conferences became a major talking point at the start of the French Open, with both women's world number one Ashleigh Barty, and 20-time men's Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal speaking on the subject after Osaka's initial announcement.

Barty had said she viewed speaking to the media as "part of the job."

"In my opinion, press is kind of part of the job," Barty said, according to The Associated Press. "We know what we sign up for as professional tennis players. ... At times, press conference are hard, of course, but it's also not something that bothers me."

Nadal echoed that view, saying: "Without the press ... probably we will not be the athletes that we are today."