Four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka recently announced that she is officially withdrawing from this year’s French Open tournament, citing her mental health and wellbeing as a factor in her decision. Bigoted British broadcaster Piers Morgan wasted no time coming for the young athlete over her vulnerable announcement, bitterly referring to her as “Narcissistic Naomi” and comparing her to Meghan Markle in a write-up for the Daily Mail.
The French Open fined Osaka $15,000 after she decided to skip press interviews following her May 30 first-round win. After weighing her options, Osaka decided to do what was best and announced her withdrawal from the French Open on Memorial Day.
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“Though the tennis press has always been kind to me…I am not a natural public speaker and get huge waves of anxiety before I speak to the world’s media,” she wrote on her Instagram, adding that her social anxiety often makes pressers difficult for her.
The very same day, Morgan tweeted out his scathing and disrespectful Daily Mail article, calling Osaka’s claims into question.
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Narcissistic Naomi’s cynical exploitation of mental health to silence the media is right from the Meghan & Harry playbook of wanting their press cake and eating it. https://t.co/UUFZ8iXt7l pic.twitter.com/iAj5ivzOBc— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) May 31, 2021
“Ms. Osaka is also an arrogant, spoiled brat whose fame and fortune appears to have inflated her ego to gigantic proportions,” Morgan fired off in the op-ed. “How else to explain her extraordinary decision to announce she will no longer participate in media press conferences, supposedly to protect her mental health?”
Doubling down on his attack against Osaka and continuing to blast Markle, Morgan continued, “This is straight out of the Meghan and Harry playbook of wanting to have the world’s largest cake and eating it, by exploiting the media for ruthlessly commercial self-promotion but using mental health to silence any media criticism. And I’m sorry (not really…) if this offends any of the delicate little snowflakes out there who believe all this self-serving garbage,”
The former Good Morning Britain host infamously walked off (and later quit) the show last month after a heated exchange about Markle’s claims of suicidal thoughts during her time as Dutchess of Sussex. He also tweeted that he didn’t “believe” Markle’s story.
While Osaka has received backlash for her personal decision, she’s also gained support from dozens of other Black athletes who “get it” better than anyone else.
Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving commented under her Instagram announcement, “We are all with you, Queen. Just Be You. That will always be enough.” Olympic runner Usain Bolt and NASCAR driver Lewis Hamilton also showed their support towards the 23-year-old champion.
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Her mentor, Venus Williams, wrote under her post, “So proud of you. Take care of yourself and see you back winning soon!”
Hopefully, Morgan’s tirade makes Osaka all the more secure in her decision to step away from the spotlight. We love to see this young woman of color prioritizing her wellbeing and inspiring others to do the same.
We could all be taking notes from the young tennis pro.
