One of the world’s greatest tennis stars, Japan’s Naomi Osaka, stated Wednesday she will not talk to the media throughout this year’s French Open since of the toll press conference handle gamers’ psychological wellness.
“I’ve often felt that people have no regard for athletes mental health and this rings true whenever I see a press conference or partake in one,” Osaka, ranked No. 2 worldwide, composed in a post shared on her Instagram and Twitter accounts when revealing her choice.
“We’re often 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,” she included.
The tennis star stated she had actually viewed numerous clips of gamers breaking down in journalism space after losing matches, which subjecting professional athletes to concerns from reporters in those circumstances totals up to “kicking a person while they are down.”
The choice has a real-world effect since gamers can be fined as much as $20,000 for avoiding post-match rundowns at Grand Slams unless they are hurt and physically not able to appear, however it’s not unusual for gamers to take the hit and avoid them anyhow after especially tough losses.
In her post, Osaka stated she hoped that the “considerable amount” that she was anticipating to be fined would approach a psychological health charity.
It’s unclear whether she will not be participating in press conference at other competitions, also.
Osaka’s declaration has actually produced more than 7,000 talk about Instagram, consisting of from her fellow tennis gamers.
American Venus Williams, a seven-time Grand Slam champ, stated: “Girl, do you. Your life is yours to live!” Williams, and her sibling, tennis legend Serena Williams, have actually both been formerly fined for missing out on press conference at significant competitions.
Soft-spoken Osaka has up until now had a mainly friendly relationship with the media.
In her post, she stated her choice was “nothing personal” versus the competition, including that she has actually had “a friendly relationship” with mostof the reporters who cover the sport.
But she included: “If the organizations think that they can just keep saying, ‘Do the press or you’re gonna be fined,’ and continue to ignore the mental health of the athletes that are the centerpiece of their corporation then I just gotta laugh.”
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NBC News has actually connected to the French Tennis Federation, which arranges the French Open, the Women’s Tennis Association and the International Tennis Federation for remark, in addition to Osaka’s long list of sponsors, consisting of Nike and Louis Vuitton.
The Japanese Haitian gamer, who has actually taken the tennis world by storm given that her breakout in 2018, has actually currently won 4 Grand Slam titles at the age of 23. Earlier this month, she was called Sportswoman of the Year by the prominent Laureus World Sports Awards.
She made more than $55 million in 2015, a record for a female professional athlete, according to the sports organization site Sportico.
Osaka has actually likewise utilized her voice to end up being a champ for racial equality on and off the court. At in 2015’s U.S. Open, she used 7 masks, each bring the name of a victim of racial violence.
French Open qualifiers are underway, with the primary draw set to start Sunday.
