Osaka leaves presser in tears

CINCINNATI • Naomi Osaka's return to the press conference format after a three-month hiatus went smoothly for three questions on Monday at the Cincinnati Open.

But the highest paid player in women's tennis - she has earned US$60 million (S$82 million) over the past 12 months - ended up in tears after answering the fourth question, which came from Paul Daugherty, a sports columnist for The Cincinnati Enquirer.

He questioned how she could balance her resistance to press conferences with the fact that her outside interests were "served by having a media platform".

Osaka twice asked the reporter to clarify his question and turned down an offer from the moderator to "move on to the next question" before replying.

"Ever since I was younger, I have had a lot of media interest on me, and I think it's because of my background as well," said the Japanese, who is also of partial Haitian heritage, but grew up mainly in the United States.

"I can't really help that there are some things that I tweet or some things that I say that kind of create a lot of news articles or things like that... but I would also say I'm not really sure how to balance the two. Like I'm figuring it out at the same time as you are, I would say."

The four-time Grand Slam champion was soon seen wiping away tears and had to leave the room to compose herself while the camera in use for the remote interview session was switched off.

Returning five minutes later, the world No. 2 said "sorry for walking out" before hastily completing her press conference.

Her agent, Stuart Duguid, was upset.

In a text message, he said: "The bully at The Cincinnati Enquirer is the epitome of why player-media relations are so fraught right now.

"Everyone on that Zoom (call) will agree that his tone was all wrong and his sole purpose was to intimidate."

That was a matter of opinion. But the scene was without a doubt the latest sign of Osaka's vulnerability, and the latest thought-provoking development in her 2021 season.

The 23-year-old has played rarely - just seven tournaments - but ignited plenty of conversation and debate: Raising awareness about the mental health of athletes while challenging the established ways that they communicate with journalists.

At the French Open in May, she made it clear she would decline to do pre-tournament or post-match press conferences, citing the need to preserve her well-being and avoid negative thoughts - she has traditionally struggled to adapt her power game to clay courts.

But that uncommon stance created a clash with Roland Garros and Grand Slam officials.

Osaka was fined US$15,000 for skipping her press commitments after her first-round victory, and was threatened with more fines and potential disqualification if she continued not to comply.

It was a hard line, and she withdrew before her second-round match in Paris, explaining on social media that she did not want to become a distraction. She also revealed that she had experienced depression since winning her first singles Major at the 2018 US Open.

Osaka returned to her home in Los Angeles and did not play again until the Olympics in Tokyo, where American gymnastics star Simone Biles brought more visibility to the subject by withdrawing from several events after citing her own mental health issues.

The reigning Australian and US Open champion said on Monday that she had texted Biles during the Games but had not spoken with her directly.

"I sent her a message but I also want to give her space, because I know how overwhelming it can feel," Osaka said.

Asked whether she was "proud of being brave" in Paris, she added: "In that moment I wasn't really proud. I felt it was something I needed to do for myself, and more than anything, I felt like I holed up in my house for a couple weeks.

"I was a little bit embarrassed to go out because I didn't know if people were looking at me in a different way than they usually did before.

"But the biggest eye-opener was going to the Olympics and having other athletes come up to me and say they were really glad I did what I did. So, after all that, I'm proud of what I did, and it's something that needed to be done."

No significant changes have yet been made to player-reporter interactions, which remain largely virtual because of the coronavirus pandemic, but there have been continuing discussions between Osaka and her team and WTA Tour officials and other tennis administrators.

Osaka decided to meet with the media before her opening match at the Cincinnati event, which is scheduled for tomorrow against either American Coco Gauff or Taiwanese Hsieh Su-wei.

The press conference was her first since she lost to American Jessica Pegula in her opening match at the Italian Open on May 12.

It was also her first interview session since the Olympics, during which she took on a new dimension by becoming the first tennis player to light the cauldron.

It remains unclear what approach Osaka will take going forward, especially with the US Open, the final Major of the year, starting in less than two weeks on Aug 30.

NYTIMES

Day 3: StarHub Ch201, 11pm

Wins US Open for first Grand Slam title

Wins Australian Open for second straight Slam crown to become world No. 1

Wins US Open for third Slam

• Wins Australian Open to be just the third player in the Open Era to win first four Grand Slam finals

• Says she will not fulfil French Open media duties, is fined after winning her opening match and then pulls out

• Lights Olympic cauldron but the top seed falls in last 16