Naomi Osaka pulled out of the French Open on Monday, saying it was "the best thing for the tournament, the other players and my well-being".

The dramatic development comes in the wake of Japan's world number two declaring she would not fulfil press conference duties during the tournament at Roland Garros.

She cited mental health concerns for reaching that decision, and Osaka now says she plans a break from tennis, which may mean she does not play at Wimbledon.

In her withdrawal announcement, Osaka said she has suffered "long bouts of depression" since winning the US Open in 2018.

Grand slam chiefs surprisingly escalated the situation on Sunday by declaring that repeated violations of their code of conduct could see Osaka thrown out of the event.

Now Osaka has taken the matter into her own hands, a day after winning her first-round match.

She wrote on Twitter: "Hey everyone, this isn't a situation I ever imagined or intended when I posted a few days ago. I think now the best thing for the tournament, the other players and my well-being is that I withdraw so that everyone can get back to focusing on the tennis going on in Paris.

"I never wanted to be a distraction and I accept that my timing was not ideal and my message could have been clearer.

"More importantly I would never trivialise mental health or use the term lightly.

"The truth is that I have suffered long bouts of depression since the US Open in 2018 and I have had a really hard time coping with that."

pic.twitter.com/LN2ANnoAYD

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

Osaka, 23, added: "Anyone that knows me knows I'm introverted, and anyone that has seen me at tournaments will notice that I'm often wearing headphones as that helps dull my social anxiety.

"Though the tennis press has always been kind to me [and I wanna apologise especially to all the cool journalists who I may have hurt), I am not a natural public speaker and get huge waves of anxiety before I speak to the world's media.

"I get really nervous and find it stressful to always try to engage and give you the best answers I can. So 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.

"I announced it preemptively because I do feel like the rules are quite outdated in parts and I wanted to highlight that. I wrote privately to the tournament apologising and saying that I would be happy to speak with them after the tournament as the slams are intense.

"I'm gonna take some time away from the court now, but when the time is right I really want to work with the tour to discuss ways we can make things better for the players, press and fans."

She signed off her note by adding: "Anyways hope you are all doing well and staying safe, love you guys. I'll see you when I see you."

In a statement on Sunday, tournament organisers said they had "asked [Osaka] to reconsider her position and tried unsuccessfully to speak with her to check on her well-being".

They said they received a "lack of engagement" from the reigning US Open and Australian Open champion.

In the statement, signed by organisers of the four grand slam tournaments, it was said that press conferences for players, as well as being mandatory, are "for the benefit of the sport, the fans and for themselves".

Osaka, fined $15,000 for missing her press duties after beating Patricia Maria Tig, sees no such personal benefit at present and firmly believes her mental health would be adversely affected by sitting in front of a room of reporters.

The grand slams warned Osaka that "repeat violations attract tougher sanctions including default from the tournament and the trigger of a major offence investigation that could lead to more substantial fines and future grand slam suspensions".