Naomi Osaka withdraws from French Open

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tell me in which job can you just tell your company that from now on you will not do a certain part of the job?
And there are rules and regulations that come with the job?

You’re missing something. They said “but the rules”, she said “fine, bye”

They’re the one’s who lost out btw. Not her.

+1

She did great here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those of you who say she should have been allowed to pay the fines, not all players can afford $15k/day in fines. Are you saying that the top players can avoid letting the media get into their head, but the lower rungs of the WTA are SOL?

Exactly. It's not a solution to this problem, if there even is one.

Marshawn Lynch found a solution and shut the vapid press up pretty easily.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those of you who say she should have been allowed to pay the fines, not all players can afford $15k/day in fines. Are you saying that the top players can avoid letting the media get into their head, but the lower rungs of the WTA are SOL?

Exactly. It's not a solution to this problem, if there even is one.

Marshawn Lynch found a solution and shut the vapid press up pretty easily.

Marshawn Lynch dealt with reporters who were basically sycophants and was helped by the NFL which only lets outlets to broadcast games go so far (including with programing not related to gameday). For the European press, there will be blood in the water the next time she has to sit infront of the microphones

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those of you who say she should have been allowed to pay the fines, not all players can afford $15k/day in fines. Are you saying that the top players can avoid letting the media get into their head, but the lower rungs of the WTA are SOL?

Exactly. It's not a solution to this problem, if there even is one.

Marshawn Lynch found a solution and shut the vapid press up pretty easily.

Marshawn Lynch dealt with reporters who were basically sycophants and was helped by the NFL which only lets outlets to broadcast games go so far (including with programing not related to gameday). For the European press, there will be blood in the water the next time she has to sit infront of the microphones

Not really. If she doesn’t take the bait, she comes out on top, like Lynch did. Honestly who cares if the press get their feelings hurt?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a thing, it's not just Naomi.

I’ll have to relisten but did she say she plays better tennis than the journalists? That didn’t make sense to me because they are journalists, they are not tennis players or, is she just saying she’s a superior human to them in which case I find to be offputting.

Yes, she's saying she plays better tennis than the journalists. She's coming at it from a "those who can, do; those who can't teach/write about it" sort of approach. It's a way for her to feel superior in the moment, when someone is trying to mess with her head is how I took it.

Yes. And pp, why do you find what she said “off putting”? Venus maybe in the twilight of her career, but if you don’t think you’re the best who else will? That’s how top athletes think, they have otherwise, people will get in their head and try to derail them. Especially journalists. I mean I know they have a job to do but they can ask things with the specific intention of cutting players down. And they often ask female players really personal questions that have nothing to do with tennis or their game that they never ask the male players. One time a journalist asked Serena about being on her period while playing ....other female also have been asked that. Is that really an appointment question?

[Anonymous]

Someone who promotes BLM and wears names of dead Black folks doesn’t strike me as someone who fears media attention. She wanted to pay the fee to protect herself from answering questions about her game. Ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tell me in which job can you just tell your company that from now on you will not do a certain part of the job?
And there are rules and regulations that come with the job?

When you are the number #2 tennis player in the world and the highest paid female athlete in the world, they will make adjustments. Maybe Naomi didn’t handle this well, but neither did the French Open Leadership. Changes will be made. No major tournament wants this kind of press.

But the tournaments do want ratings. The fewer interviews, the fewer people know the major players or pay attention to the matches. The players won’t be happy with the long-term effects of such a move.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Someone who promotes BLM and wears names of dead Black folks doesn’t strike me as someone who fears media attention. She wanted to pay the fee to protect herself from answering questions about her game. Ridiculous.

Clearly you don’t follow her or have ever heard her in a press conference. She has no problems answering questions about her GAME! You think a player who has beaten Serena Williams has trouble answering questions about her game? You sound the the journalists she was talking about. Ridiculous. She doesn’t have to pay for protection from questions about her GAME because she wins. GTFOH.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those of you who say she should have been allowed to pay the fines, not all players can afford $15k/day in fines. Are you saying that the top players can avoid letting the media get into their head, but the lower rungs of the WTA are SOL?

Exactly. It's not a solution to this problem, if there even is one.

Marshawn Lynch found a solution and shut the vapid press up pretty easily.

Marshawn Lynch dealt with reporters who were basically sycophants and was helped by the NFL which only lets outlets to broadcast games go so far (including with programing not related to gameday). For the European press, there will be blood in the water the next time she has to sit infront of the microphones

Not really. If she doesn’t take the bait, she comes out on top, like Lynch did. Honestly who cares if the press get their feelings hurt?

is there anything about her that makes you think she won't take the bait? Do you think French reporters won't ask terrible questions about her mental health?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Someone who promotes BLM and wears names of dead Black folks doesn’t strike me as someone who fears media attention. She wanted to pay the fee to protect herself from answering questions about her game. Ridiculous.

Clearly you don’t follow her or have ever heard her in a press conference. She has no problems answering questions about her GAME! You think a player who has beaten Serena Williams has trouble answering questions about her game? You sound the the journalists she was talking about. Ridiculous. She doesn’t have to pay for protection from questions about her GAME because she wins. GTFOH.

DP. Her sister said she didn’t want to answer questions about whether she could win on clay because it might cause her to doubt herself. That is in fact a question about her game.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Someone who promotes BLM and wears names of dead Black folks doesn’t strike me as someone who fears media attention. She wanted to pay the fee to protect herself from answering questions about her game. Ridiculous.

Clearly you don’t follow her or have ever heard her in a press conference. She has no problems answering questions about her GAME! You think a player who has beaten Serena Williams has trouble answering questions about her game? You sound the the journalists she was talking about. Ridiculous. She doesn’t have to pay for protection from questions about her GAME because she wins. GTFOH.

DP. Her sister said she didn’t want to answer questions about whether she could win on clay because it might cause her to doubt herself. That is in fact a question about her game.

+1. Her first tweet about this said she didn't want them to get in her head about her game. So you're just wrong PP. She does in fact have problems answering questions about her GAME, which is why I'm having a problem with this.

[Anonymous]

I don't get this. Didn't Naomi know about the press conference requirement BEFORE she decide to participate?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Someone who promotes BLM and wears names of dead Black folks doesn’t strike me as someone who fears media attention. She wanted to pay the fee to protect herself from answering questions about her game. Ridiculous.

She agreed to do interviews but not on game days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tell me in which job can you just tell your company that from now on you will not do a certain part of the job?
And there are rules and regulations that come with the job?

When you are the number #2 tennis player in the world and the highest paid female athlete in the world, they will make adjustments. Maybe Naomi didn’t handle this well, but neither did the French Open Leadership. Changes will be made. No major tournament wants this kind of press.

But the tournaments do want ratings. The fewer interviews, the fewer people know the major players or pay attention to the matches. The players won’t be happy with the long-term effects of such a move.

They can do interviews but not on game day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tell me in which job can you just tell your company that from now on you will not do a certain part of the job?
And there are rules and regulations that come with the job?

When you are the number #2 tennis player in the world and the highest paid female athlete in the world, they will make adjustments. Maybe Naomi didn’t handle this well, but neither did the French Open Leadership. Changes will be made. No major tournament wants this kind of press.

But the tournaments do want ratings. The fewer interviews, the fewer people know the major players or pay attention to the matches. The players won’t be happy with the long-term effects of such a move.

Look, tournaments are a business. They need media to promote their business to sell tickets, to get networks to buy televising rights. She wants to win grandslams. This is the case of where RG can't win no matter how they handle it.
If they allow her the exception, they are neglecting lower-ranked players and making it unfair for them. So, 127 players don't get the "out of press free" card but one does? She is not up later after matches doing presser. The others are, hence she can get two hours extra sleep and recovery between matches. She can go straight to bed after the match without any other negative emotions, while the rest go to bed rethinking and more tired than Osaka?
How is that fair?
So, who is RG to choose? A player that handled this so poorly and put them in a spot of accommodating her and being unfair to all the other players, or accommodating the other players and those that promote their tournament around the world?
I don't see what other option RG organizers had.