Naomi Osaka withdraws from French Open

[Anonymous]

They will lose viewership. Ratings will down. Naomi is on her way to Serena’s level of play. Back in the day when the Williams’ sisters played ratings were up, when Tiger played ratings were up. I bet most of the folks commenting on this thread couldn’t name two other top tennis players male or female other than Serena, Naomi, Rafa, Joker and Roger. Naomi was willing to pay the price (fines), her issue was the expulsion. So I don’t know where all this snowflake, privileged, entitlement comments are coming from. Clearly from people who don’t follow tennis or know her reputation on and off the court among her peers.

Everyone says mental health is important but when someone exercises their right to stand up for their mental health they’re being entitled? GTFOH. Anyone who has followed her career knows how sincere she is and her actions are completely in line with everything she has talked about since winning the US Open in 2018. Her statement is not a surprise to her fans, nor should it be to the media. She has consistently discussed how much the after match pressers cause her anxiety and are mentally taxing. It’s not like she can take a Xanax.

Naomi will find her way out of this and still be on top.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Naomi’s sister implied that Naomi didn’t want to talk to the press because she didn’t want them to plant seeds of doubt in her head regarding her ability to win on clay. Of course they can’t let certain athletes skip universal obligations for strategic reasons.

https://nypost.com/2021/06/01/naomi-osakas-sister-on-deleted-reddit-post-i-f-ked-up/

She herself said it. I just don't get why anyone thinks she can just decide for herself what rules she'll follow and what she won't. She's "supposed" to be an elite tennis player. With that comes the obligation to meet with the media. But she doesn't want to because it messes with her self-confidence, wait, I have depression and anxiety. I'm just not buying it. Don't play Slam events then. It's ridiculous.

Athletes have been lobbying for years to stop game day interviews.

Rules change, this one needs to change.

She’s free to join that fight. They’re free to set their rules. She should try to get more players to boycott the press time but until she’s successful, them’s the rules.

To those of you who are set on rules — you did notice that they changed the rules, right? Possibly just for her. They jumped from fines — which all players were aware of, to threatening a suspension from Grand Slam tournaments. So while they are free to set the rules, they shouldn’t be free to change them in the middle of a tournament. I hope Osaka is able to get support for this. Players, in the guise of “press” have been asked cruel, and extremely personal questions. It would be easier to support the rules re: the media if they stuck to comments about the sport — unless the players themselves choose to bring up more personal issues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Naomi’s sister implied that Naomi didn’t want to talk to the press because she didn’t want them to plant seeds of doubt in her head regarding her ability to win on clay. Of course they can’t let certain athletes skip universal obligations for strategic reasons.

https://nypost.com/2021/06/01/naomi-osakas-sister-on-deleted-reddit-post-i-f-ked-up/

She herself said it. I just don't get why anyone thinks she can just decide for herself what rules she'll follow and what she won't. She's "supposed" to be an elite tennis player. With that comes the obligation to meet with the media. But she doesn't want to because it messes with her self-confidence, wait, I have depression and anxiety. I'm just not buying it. Don't play Slam events then. It's ridiculous.

Athletes have been lobbying for years to stop game day interviews.

Rules change, this one needs to change.

She’s free to join that fight. They’re free to set their rules. She should try to get more players to boycott the press time but until she’s successful, them’s the rules.

To those of you who are set on rules — you did notice that they changed the rules, right? Possibly just for her. They jumped from fines — which all players were aware of, to threatening a suspension from Grand Slam tournaments. So while they are free to set the rules, they shouldn’t be free to change them in the middle of a tournament. I hope Osaka is able to get support for this. Players, in the guise of “press” have been asked cruel, and extremely personal questions. It would be easier to support the rules re: the media if they stuck to comments about the sport — unless the players themselves choose to bring up more personal issues.

They did not change the rules. Any repeated violations of the Code of Conduct can result in default or suspension from tournaments. It is a general rule related to the entire code of conduct — not just the part about skipping press.

[Anonymous]

What’s killing me about all these folks so keen on the rules is the pressers aren’t even televised. They are recorded but not televised. So why must they be done right after the match? Why can’t they happen the next day or much later after the match? Give the the player/team (of any sport) time to breathe and calm themselves after the match.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What’s killing me about all these folks so keen on the rules is the pressers aren’t even televised. They are recorded but not televised. So why must they be done right after the match? Why can’t they happen the next day or much later after the match? Give the the player/team (of any sport) time to breathe and calm themselves after the match.

Players like Oskaka have theirs televised. Often live. But depending on the time difference here in the US, it might not be shown live. But they are airing them live in Europe.

Again, the WTA lady.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So does she have social anxiety or did she want to win it and was worried that journalists will bring her confidence down?
One is perfectly acceptable the other is cheating the odds!
Every single player can say that journalists will bring them down! And they have to face them. If she is exempt from it, well how is that fair to the others?
It's not!
Do you think it is easy for Novak Djokovic to play at the U.S. Open and have the crown jeer against him and openly mock him and disrupt his serve?
Do you think he loves it when the crowd chants Roger, Nadal, Andy?
Yeah, no. I was in her corner thinking she did it bcs like my kid she wants to run away from the situation like a deer in headlights due to social anxiety.
If the other is the reason, she now has no chance to win it. Talk about being stupid!

Can't it be both, and aren't both on a spectrum?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She did this after winning the first round and was fined for refusing to appear at the subsequent international press conference. What do you all think of the sports requirement that athletes speak to media even when they’re uncomfortable?

Snowflake.

I find it so interesting when people show such hostility toward other people taking care of their mental health, especially when it has no effect on the hostile person. It makes me wonder what they’re so defensive about.

They're bitter and jealous of her success, fame and money. Now they'll come on here, lie and defensively claim to be a famous millionaire. LOL.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like a typical Millennial—I feel “uncomfortable“ therefore it must be a mental illness. I should not have to interact with people if I don’t wanna! Even if they are paying me millions of dollars which they get from selling not only my game but who I am. Boo-hoo! The millions I’m making are not enough if I have to talk to people.

Seriously, enough already. People should interact with each other. It’s part of our humanity. Not everyone loves it but get over yourself.

Every gen Y and Z (under age 40) has anxiety and/or depression. Everyone is a professional victim -- even A-list mollycoddled filthy rich athletes. Oh the stresses of flying on private jets and everyone bathing in praise and luxury.

Your jealousy is palpable and is wildly unattractive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One part of me understand her completely, DS has social anxiety. The other part understands that she went about it the wrong way. I will not do it, the end? Yeah, how immature.
So, some interviews are ok and some are not? How come? Her anxiety is under control while playing, but not to answer a few questions?
Without the reporters, we have no reason to read and pay to watch tennis and be into the sport.
The other part says, we can have all the accommodations for gender issues but not for anxiety?
And why did she not say that right away? I have a health issue which is valid and I need this accommodation?
I mean, imagine her winning RG and not giving a speech? But, that is ok and the presser after the game is not? And it sounded like she was only against it if a player loses, based on her initial statement.
So, another part of me says she is entitled.

She reached out to the tournament organizers in advance about her decision, and invited them to contact her to discuss it further if they had concerns. If they had done so, perhaps there’s a compromise that could have been struck to get some press access in a different format and at a different time. Instead they decided to throw the book at her, thinking they could bully her into capitulating. She called their bluff.

do you think they care that she isn't participating? It's only a bluff if the otherwise cares about the outcome

Do I think that a major tennis tournament cares that one of the best players on the planet refuses to play? Yes, I absolutely do.

+1. What an asinine question.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Naomi’s sister implied that Naomi didn’t want to talk to the press because she didn’t want them to plant seeds of doubt in her head regarding her ability to win on clay. Of course they can’t let certain athletes skip universal obligations for strategic reasons.

https://nypost.com/2021/06/01/naomi-osakas-sister-on-deleted-reddit-post-i-f-ked-up/

She herself said it. I just don't get why anyone thinks she can just decide for herself what rules she'll follow and what she won't. She's "supposed" to be an elite tennis player. With that comes the obligation to meet with the media. But she doesn't want to because it messes with her self-confidence, wait, I have depression and anxiety. I'm just not buying it. Don't play Slam events then. It's ridiculous.

+1. Snowflake syndrome.

I don't care that you're all going to screech that you aren't chronologically so, but every one of you throwing around idiocy like "snowflake" and putting ironic quotes around mental health terms have pathetically ignorant Boomer energy.

[Anonymous]

She should have pulled a Marshawn Lynch.

[Anonymous]

Yep...but I think she really wanted to speak on the mental health aspect and bring her own personal struggles to light.

[Anonymous]

Good for her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:She should have pulled a Marshawn Lynch.

She is too shy to pull off something like that. A stunt like that would double her anxiety levels.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She should have pulled a Marshawn Lynch.

She is too shy to pull off something like that. A stunt like that would double her anxiety levels.

+1 Marshawn was a 34-year-old man with gave zero f&cks and wasn't afraid to let that be known. He explicitly told the press he didn't like them and that he wasn't going to let them write his narrative and that his play on the field should speak for itself. Naomi is a shy, quiet, introverted, 23-year-old woman and I don't think she could do what Marshawn Lynch did even if she wished she could.