Osaka, 23, announced last week that she would not be taking media questions at Roland-Garros because she thinks journalists ‘doubt’ her and she didn’t want to ‘subject’ herself to their tough questions
Tennis stars are reversing their criticism of Naomi Osaka, who pulled out of the French Open on Monday saying she suffers ’bouts of depression’, after initially telling her it’s part of the job to speak to the press, no matter how hard she may find it.
Osaka, 23, announced last week that she would not be taking media questions at Roland-Garros because she thinks journalists ‘doubt’ her and she didn’t want to subject herself to their tough questions.
She was fined $15,000 and threatened with expulsion from the remaining Grand Slams, as well as being accused of trying to have her cake and eat it too.
Osaka was the highest paid female athlete in history in 2019, earning $37.4million.
Veteran players spoke out afterwards to say while they sympathized with anyone suffering mental health problems, speaking to the press was part of the job and without journalists, no one would know who they are.
Osaka then withdrew from the tournament and said she has been suffering ’bouts of depression’ for years. She apologized to journalists she might have been offended but said she needs ‘time away from the court’.
Greats like Billie Jean King – who earlier disagreed with Osaka’s decision – changed their tune to offer her sympathy. Chris Evert suggested changes to the media to protect young stars who can’t seem to handle tough questions.
Others like 18-time Grand-Slam winner Martina Navratilova – who told Osaka to ‘woman up’ last week – deleted tweets and replaced them with more sympathetic words.
King, 77, tweeted: ‘It’s incredibly brave that Naomi Osaka has revealed her truth about her struggle with depression. Right now, the important thing is that we give her the space and time she needs. We wish her well.’
Hours earlier, she’d posted a different statement that said in part: ‘I have always believed that as professional athletes we have a responsibility to make ourselves available to the media… the media still play an important role in telling our story.’
Evert went on Good Morning America Tuesday and said that while in her day she didn’t mind taking tough questions, young athletes these days don’t seem able to handle it.
Chris Evert – who won her first French Open at age 20, three years younger than Osaka is now – said that while the press is ‘crucial’ to the game, press conferences need to change to become ‘more comfortable for the players’
Evert won her first French Open in 1974 when she was 20 (shown) – three years younger than Osaka is now. She said on Tuesday that she didn’t mind taking questions about her performance, but didn’t like ever being asked about her personal life. Osaka said she didn’t want to face journalists because she thinks they ‘doubt’ her
She said the press is ‘crucial’ to the sport and has helped Osaka’s brand but that press conferences need to be updated to make it more comfortable for the stars.
She suggested putting checks on the media by restricting press conferences to 15 minutes, banning ‘tabloid’ press and bloggers whose questions aren’t to athletes’ liking and even adding a ‘moderator’ to ‘field questions.’
These athletes are teenagers and in their early 20s. They cant cope with what a 45 year old golfer can. The press needs to have compassion with what they ask
‘There are so many layers to this issue that it would take an hour to talk about.
‘Most importantly, I hope that Naomi is OK. It’s interesting because I really respect Naomi for being a spokesperson and she has been the darling of the media, that’s what makes this interesting.
‘The media have really helped her brand.
‘On the one side, I have so much sympathy for her but on the other side of the coin is that the press are very instrumental in the growth of the game It’s crucial to tennis, it brings stories to the fans, dissects matches.
‘These press conferences are a responsibility.
‘But at the same time, it’s time to take a look at the structure of these press conferences to make them more comfortable and healthier for the players, maybe limit them to 15 or20 minutes, maybe check the credentials of the press a little better, maybe monitor or a moderator in there to field the questions.
‘This is an individual sport, it can be brutal at times…these athletes are teenagers and in their early 20s. They cant cope with what a 45-year-old golfer can.
‘The press needs to have compassion with what they ask – it’s putting a lot of players off,’ she said.
Asked how she managed it when she was a teen star, she replied: ‘I was fine with talking about my losses, I felt like it went along with the territory. I would just answer the question – but when they ask about your personal life…some of them are tabloid, blogs.
‘Maybe they should check the credentials more,’ she said.
Billie Jean King tweeted on Monday afternoon that Osaka should be given space and that it was incredibly brave of her to speak about her depression
Earlier: King’s statement on Monday night was of a very different tone to the one she offered over the weekend that highlighted the media’s role in the game
Evert won dozens more titles in the years that followed.
She added that these days, stars have social media so ‘nothing is eyeball to eyeball’.
‘They [the stars, the media and the tournaments] need to get together in a room and hash it out in an understanding and empathetic way,’ she said.
Evert added, in a piece of advice to Osaka: ‘Take care of yourself – so much has happened to this young woman in a few short years. She is the highest paid athlete in the world… just take time away. Figure it out.
‘She needs to communicate with the Grand Slams, come up with a healthy solution that’s going to make everyone happy.’
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Osaka didn’t say that she was avoiding the press because they were asking too much about her personal life. In her initial statement, she said: ‘We’re sat there and asked questions that we’ve been asked multiple times before or asked questions that bring doubt into our minds and I’m just not going to subject myself to people that doubt me.
Martina Navratilova first tweeted this on Monday, saying Osaka made things ‘worse’ for herself. Earlier, she’d said she needs to ‘woman up’ during an appearance on TV
Three hours later, Martina deleted her earlier tweet and replaced it with this more sympathetic one
BORIS BECKER SAYS OSAKA’S CAREER IS IN DANGER
Boris Becker believes Naomi Osaka‘s career in tennis is ‘in danger’ as a result of her media boycott and subsequent withdrawal from the French Open on Monday.
Three-time Wimbledon winner Boris Becker now worries for Osaka’s future in the sport
‘I heard her first response a couple of days ago about this media boycott and that is something to be always taken seriously, especially from such a young woman,’ Becker told Eurosport.
‘She couldn’t cope with the pressures of facing the media after she loses a match, but that happens frequently and you have to deal with it.
‘I always believed the media was part of the job. Without the media, there is no prize money, no contracts, you don’t get half the cake. I hated the media and I didn’t like talking to journalists, but you had to do it.
‘Now she is pulling out of the tournament altogether because she can’t cope with it and that raises much bigger questions for me.
‘If she can’t cope with the media in Paris, she can’t cope with the media in Wimbledon or the US Open. So I almost feel like her career is in danger due to mental health issues.’
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‘I believe the whole situation is kicking a person while they’re down and I don’t understand the reasoning behind it.’
Her sister Mari then suggested on Reddit that she didn’t want to be reminded of her record playing on clay, which isn’t as strong. She deleted that post afterwards.
Her coach, earlier in the day, tried to do damage control by telling German news site Der Spiegel: ‘In the USA, the issue of athletes wanting more freedom in their dealings with the press is very topical right now. They simply don’t want to be threatened with punishments if they don’t feel well for a day. Naomi knows that it’s important to talk to the press.
‘She doesn’t want to change things for herself alone. It’s a matter of principle for her: she wants to bring about change here, too.’
Martina Navratilova, an 18-time Grand Slam winner, deleted a tweet Monday that said: ‘Kudos to Naomi Osaka for caring so much about the other players. While she tried to make a situation better for herself and others, she inadvertently made it worse. Hope this solution, pulling out, as brutal as it is, will allow her to start healing and take care of her SELF.’
She then tweeted: ‘I am so sad about Naomi Osaka. I truly hope she will be okay. As athletes we are taught to take care of our body, and perhaps the mental and emotional aspect gets short shrift.’
‘This is about more than doing or not doing a press conference. Good luck Naomi – we are all pulling for you.’
The tone was significantly different to commentary aired on the Tennis Channel on Sunday when, instead of publicly supporting Osaka, she said the player’s issue ‘is not a mental health issue and is a mental issue’ before telling her to ‘woman up’.
Serena Williams, when asked about the issue on Monday, threw her support behind Osaka but also seemed to suggest younger players aren’t as strong as those who have been in the sport for years.
‘I feel for Naomi. Not everyone is the same. 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 and the best way she thinks she can. That’s the only thing I can say: I think she is doing the best she can,’ Williams said.
World Number One Ashleigh Barty – who is 25 – said last week that she has no issue speaking to the press.
‘We know what we sign up for as professional tennis players. I can’t really comment on what Naomi is feeling or her decisions she makes. At times press conferences are hard, of course, but it’s also not something that bothers me. I’ve never had problems answering questions or being completely honest with you guys. It’s not something that’s ever fazed me too much,’ she said.
Rafael Nadal and Ashleigh Barty, 25, both said that they have no issue speaking with the media, and they acknowledged that without the media their careers would not look the same
NAOMI OSAKA’S POSTS ABOUT FRENCH OPEN AND MENTAL HEALTH
MAY 26
MAY 30
MAY 31
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AOC, the liberal Democrat congresswoman, weighed in on Monday saying she was ‘proud’ of Osaka and other progressive celebrities called for a boycott of the French Open because ‘Naomi is the most exciting player anyway’.
The tournament’s organizers released a statement after Osaka withdrew, saying: ‘First and foremost, we are sorry and sad for Naomi Osaka.
‘The outcome of Naomi withdrawing from Roland-Garros is unfortunate. We wish her the best and the quickest possible recovery, and we look forward to having Naomi at our Tournament next year.
‘As all the Grand Slams, the WTA, the ATP and the ITF, we remain very committed to all athletes’ well-being and to continually improving every aspect of players’ experience in our Tournament, including with the Media, like we have always strived to do.’
The Women’s Tennis Association said that while it welcomed a dialogue with Osaka and other players, ‘professional athletes have a responsibility to their sport and their fans to speak to the media surrounding their competition, allowing them the opportunity to share their perspective and tell their story.’
Source: Daily Mail
