Naomi Osaka withdrew from the French Open just a few months ago after she revealed that she was dealing with some mental health issues. This was all in the midst of a controversy that was created when she said she would no longer do post-match press conferences. Many reporters were upset with her decision and it ultimately led to her withdrawal from the French Open, and even Wimbledon.
Today, Osaka held her first press conference since the French Open incident, and as it turns out, things didn't go so well. While fielding questions ahead of the Western & Southern Open, a journalist asked Osaka about her profile in the media and how she benefits from it. According to journalist Ben Rothenberg, the reporter aggressively asked why Osaka feels like she can avoid the media when it is the media who has propped her up. The tone of the reporter caught Osaka off guard and she began to cry before leaving the podium, only to return later.
Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
According to TMZ, Osaka's agent Stuart Duguid was absolutely incensed about the reporter's tone and made a statement saying "The bully at the Cincinnati Enquirer is the epitome of why player/media relations are so fraught right now. Everyone on that Zoom will agree that his tone was all wrong and his sole purpose was to intimidate. Really appalling behavior. And this insinuation that Naomi owes her off-court success to the media is a myth – don’t be so self-indulgent."
With Osaka coming back to tournament play, the belief was that the media would be more sympathetic towards the tennis star, although that does not seem to be the case right now. Moving forward, it will be interesting to see whether or not Osaka decides to avoid the media again, especially after this latest incident.
[Via]