Last week, Naomi Osaka announced that she would be withdrawing from the 2021 French Open tournament altogether, after stating that she would skip the press interviews that allow reporters to ask athletes questions about their game.
As Sister 2 Sister reported, Osaka was fined $15,000 after she followed through on her promise and skipped a post-match press conference on May 30. Revealing that social anxiety can often make press events hard for her, the 23-year-old Grand Slam winner decided to withdraw from the tournament in an Instagram post.
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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 last Monday. “I get really nervous and find it stressful to always try to engage and give you the best answers I can.
And while dozens of athletes, including Kyrie Irving, Usain Bolt and Terrell Owens, praised the young tennis pro for putting her mental health first, others weren’t as kind.
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Piers Morgan blasted Osaka in a write-up for the Daily Mail, referring to her disrespectfully as “Narcissistic Naomi” and questioning her reasons for leaving. The controversial British reporter also compared her to Meghan Markle, with who he’s notoriously had a one-sided beef with.
Speaking on Osaka’s step back from press interviews, Billie King also had a few words for Osaka. A winner of 39 Grand Slam titles from her time as a tennis professional in the late 1960s and early 1970s, King definitely knows her stuff.
But some have been left wondering if her comments were outdated and insensitive.
My thoughts on Naomi Osaka’s decision not to speak with the press at Roland-Garros. pic.twitter.com/BzvHDU3DQY
— Billie Jean King (@BillieJeanKing) May 30, 2021
In a tweet, King wrote “I fully admire and respect what Naomi is doing with her platform, so I am a little torn as I try to learn from both sides of the situation. While it’s important that everyone has the right to speak their truth, I have always believed that as professional athletes we have a responsibility to make ourselves available to the media.”
“In our day, without the press, nobody would have known who we are or what we thought,“ she continued, adding “I acknowledge things are very different now with social media and everyone having an immediate ability to speak their truth. The media still play an important role in telling our story…”
Reacting to King’s tweet, author and social media personality Akilah Hughes fired back, “Does the actual game not tell the story? Respectfully, as a member of the media, it is always a privilege to speak to individuals involved. It’s never something we are entitled to.”
Does the actual game not tell the story? Respectfully, as a member of the media, it is always a privilege to speak to individuals involved. It’s never something we are entitled to.
— Akilah Hughes (@AkilahObviously) May 31, 2021
“It’s 2021. Your “day” is thankfully long gone. No one needs to suffer because that’s how it’s always been done.” another user added.
It’s 2021. Your “day” is thankfully long gone. No one needs to suffer because that’s how it’s always been done.
— Stephanie Guerilus (@qsteph) May 31, 2021
Acknowledging Osaka’s admitted mental health struggles, another user commented under King’s tweet, “Osaka wasn’t saying she would never speak with the media again. She was telling them that she was having a mental health issue, and wasn’t ABLE to handle that, right now,” continuing “There’s a HUGE difference. I hope you reconsider your opinion on this.”
Osaka wasn’t saying she would never speak with the media again. She was telling them that she was having a mental health issue, and wasn’t ABLE to handle that, right now.
There’s a HUGE difference. I hope you reconsider your opinion on this.
— 🐝💛 Truth 💛🐝 (@pattykazUSA) May 31, 2021
Do you agree with King, or are her thoughts about athletes relying on press outdated and no longer necessary? Let us know your thoughts on the situation in the comments.
