Naomi Osaka, the No. 2-ranked women’s tennis player in the world, has drawn a line in the sand — or, in this case, the clay. Osaka withdrew from the French Open on Monday in a dispute over press conferences.
Last week, Osaka announced she would not be doing press conferences, citing the damage they do to players’ mental health. She said she would rather pay fines ($15,000 every time she skipped) instead of doing the customary post-match press conferences.
Then, after the French Open and the other Grand Slam tournaments threatened to expel her if she continued to boycott press conferences, Osaka stunningly quit on Monday. But this isn’t Osaka stomping off in a huff, tennis racket in hand. Her statement Monday revealed something much more troubling.
In a statement, Osaka wrote, “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 trivialize mental health or use the term lightly. The truth is that I have suffered long bouts of depression since the U.S. Open in 2018 and I have had a really hard time coping with that.”
She also wrote in Monday’s statement that she is “introverted” and that she is not a “natural public speaker.” She went on to say she gets “huge waves of anxiety” before speaking to the media. She apologized to the “cool journalists I may have hurt,” but added the following:
“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 I announced it preemptively because I do feel like the rules are quite outdated in parts and I wanted to highlight that.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 apologizing and saying that I would be more than happy to speak with them after the tournament as the Slams are intense.”
Osaka, who had won her first-round match in Paris, said she was going to “take some time away from the court” and then hopes to speak with the women’s tennis tour to “discuss ways we can make things better for the players, press and fans.”
After all, this is important. Tennis and all sports need players to cooperate with the media. It’s part of promoting the sport.
After Osaka said she would not be doing press conferences, Rafael Nadal, the No. 1-ranked men’s player in the world, said, “As sports people, we need to be ready to accept the questions and try to produce an answer, no? I understand her, but on the other hand, for me, without the press, without the people who normally are traveling, who are writing the news and achievements that we are having around the world, probably we will not be the athletes that we are today. We aren’t going to have the recognition that we have around the world, and we will not be that popular, no?”
However, Osaka’s decision to withdraw from the French Open and take a break from tennis would suggest she isn’t, as I wrote last week, trying to avoid tough questions at a tournament where she traditionally has not played well. It’s much more serious than that. And, clearly, the French Open’s tact of fines and threats of expulsion was a decision that lacked both empathy and intelligence.
It’s a sad ending to a story that shouldn’t have ended this way. At this critical moment, tennis decided that its sport and its rigid rules were more important than the mental health and debilitating stresses of one of its most popular players. Some sort of compromise should have been made.
Tennis legend Billie Jean King, who previously spoke about the importance of the media, 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.”
So what happens now? The goal here is twofold. It’s impossible not to feel sympathy for Osaka. Yet, it’s important to find a way for Osaka — and all players — to continue talking to the media while, of course, feeling safe and healthy. Each side needs the other.
Yahoo Sports columnist Dan Wetzel summed it up well when he wrote, “It needs to be a partnership though, because no one wins if Osaka, a four-time major champion, is sitting out big events because a secondary part of her job (albeit part of her job) is causing her too much stress.”
One more note on the Osaka news
Over the past few days as those in and out of the media discussed the Osaka developments, a theme has emerged. Many are portraying press conferences as being filled with “mindless questions.” It’s a phrase that has come up quite often in this conversation.
Jon Krawczynski, who works for The Athletic in the Twin Cities, smartly tweeted, “I’m all for scrutiny of the press. It’s absolutely warranted. If Naomi Osaka is suffering from anxiety and depression that HAS to take priority. But this broad brush painting of press conferences as nothing but ‘mindless questions over and over again’ has to stop.”
He added, “There are bad and mindless questions, yes. But there are worthwhile and important interactions that illuminate the events and the athletes, informs analysis and add value for all involved.”
Goodbye to At Home
A little more than a year ago — 57 weeks to be exact — The New York Times started a section called “At Home.” The goal was to help readers get through the unprecedented times of being forced to stay home as the coronavirus pandemic raged throughout the world. Our homes became our work offices, our schools, our gyms, our movie theaters, our restaurants, our entire worlds.
But in another sign that life is getting back to normal, The Times announced the end of the At Home section.
In a note to readers, The Times’ Amy Virshup wrote, “So we’ve chosen this moment on the cusp of a summer that we hope will be filled with delightfully ordinary joys, to bow off the stage. The Times will continue to offer advice both online and in other print sections, but readers will not find At Home in their Sunday paper. And that’s a good thing. It’s another sign that the journey back to ‘normal’ is underway. As to what comes next …? We are going to take some time to determine that. But for now, we’ll say goodbye and, with printer’s caps on our heads and flibbers hoisted high, march off into the future.”
Speaking of The New York Times …
