Naomi Osaka Breaks Down in Tears During Her First Press Conference Since Opening Up About Her Mental Health
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Naomi Osaka returned to the hot seat on Monday after taking some time away from the press over the last few months to focus on her mental health. The tennis star sat down to talk to the media ahead of the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, but had to step away when she started crying halfway through.
According to reporter Ben Rothenberg, the press conference started off well, with the first few questions going smoothly. Then, Paul Daugherty, a reporter from the Cincinnati Enquirer said, "You're not crazy about dealing with us, especially in this format. Yet you have a lot of outside interests that are served by having a media platform." Ben wrote on Twitter that he asked the question in an "aggressive tone."
The topic itself wasn't terrible, but the aggressive tone from an unfamiliar person, after Naomi had already spoken in an earlier answer about how that's what she finds difficult in press conferences, got things going completely awry.
(Naomi had many good moments otherwise!)— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) August 16, 2021
Paul is referencing Naomi's recent comments about the sports media where she said she felt they "have no regard for athletes' mental health." Earlier this year, Naomi announced she would not be doing any press at the 2021 French Open, and she would pay any fine she incurred from that decision.
Following the exchange with the Cincinnati Enquirer reporter, Naomi was asked about her thoughts on Haiti, and the recent earthquake that has killed over 1,300 people. Naomi's dad is from Haiti and she has already pledged to donate any winnings from the Open to earthquake relief. It was at this point in the interview that Naomi put her head down and started to cry, according to ESPN. She then took a quick break before returning to the press conference to finish.
Naomi's agent, Stuart Duguid, later made a statement about the situation to Ben Rothenberg. "The bully at the Cincinnati Enquirer is the epitome of why player / media relations are so fraught right now," he said. "Everyone on that Zoom will agree that his tone was all wrong and his sole purpose was to intimidate. Really appalling behavior. And this insinuation that Naomi owes her off court success to the media is a myth – don’t be so self-indulgent."
Duguid (2/2):
"And this insinuation that Naomi owes her off court success to the media is a myth – don’t be so self-indulgent."— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) August 16, 2021
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