During that part of the session, Osaka began to wipe her face and pulled her hat over her eyes. “Sorry,” said a reporter, as Osaka was touched, Osaka replied, “No, you are very good.”
With Osaka crying, the mediator said they would take a quick breather. A few minutes later, Osaka came back to finish the session. I apologize for going out.
Before this unfolded, Osaka got into a conversation with a reporter from the Cincinnati Enquirer who said, “I’m not crazy about doing business with us, especially in this form. However, you have so many outside interests that the presence of a media program is served.”
The Osaka journalist was later described by an agent as a “bully”.
Before the Olympics, Osaka’s last participation in the French Open was in May. Before that tournament started, the four-times main champion and world number two said she wouldn’t hold press conferences – knowing she would be fined – citing her mental health.
After a statement from all four Grand Slams – the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open – that threatened further punishment, including default in the tournament, Osaka withdrew, revealing she had “suffered long bouts of depression” since then. now. She won her first major title in 2018.
“I’m thinking about it at the same time you’re thinking”
After answering back-to-back questions regarding press conferences, this is the exchange that occurred between columnist Paul Dougherty of the Cincinnati Enquirer and Osaka:
Dougherty: “You’re not crazy about doing business with us, especially in this form. However, you have a lot of outside interests served by having a media platform. I guess my question is how do you balance the two? And do you also have anything you’d like to share with us about what you said? Simone Biles?” (Earlier in the press conference, Osaka said she texted Biles but said she wanted to give her space, “because I know how exhausted she can feel.”)
Osaka: “When you say I’m not crazy about dealing with you guys, what does that refer to?”
Dougherty: “Well, you said you don’t particularly like the format of the press conference, and yet it seems to be the most widely used means of communication to the media and through the media to the public.”
Osaka: “That’s interesting. I would say the occasion, like when the press conferences take place, what I feel is the most difficult.”
Osaka paused then, saying she was thinking. The moderator suggested moving forward and asked Osaka if she wanted to answer the next question.
Osaka: “No. I’m very interested in that point of view. So if you could replicate that, that would be great.”
Dougherty: “The question is that you’re not particularly fond of dealing with the media, especially in this format. You’ve suggested there are better ways to do that, and we’d like to try to explore that. My question is, I think, have you also had outside interests other than tennis being offered by Through the platform the media gives you. My question is how do you think you might be able to better balance the two?”
Osaka: “I feel like this is something I can’t really talk about for everyone. I can only speak for myself, but since I was younger I’ve had a lot of media attention, and I think it’s because of my background as well as the way I play, because I’m primarily a tennis player and that’s why Cause a lot of people care about me.
“I would say in this regard that I am very different from a lot of people. I can’t really help that there are some things I tweet or some things I say that create a lot of news articles or things like that, and I know it’s because I won With two Grand Slam tournaments and I’ve had a lot of press conferences where these things happen.
“But I would also say I’m not really sure how to balance the two. I understand that at the same time as I was going to say.”
Then, as Osaka was receiving the next set of questions from the tennis journalist regarding preparation and Haiti, Osaka showed clear emotion.
CNN has reached out to Daugherty for comment.
“There are people I don’t know very well who ask me really sensitive questions”
Before the exchange with Dougherty, the Osaka reporter asked if there was any advice she could give reporters on how to help them make it a better experience for athletes who go through losses and tough moments while asking questions during press conferences.
“For me, I feel like most of the time – that’s just me as a person – I’m very open when it comes to press conferences,” Osaka said. “I feel like I’ve been this way my whole life. There are times when I can tell that there are people I don’t know very well who ask me really sensitive questions. And then especially after a loss, that kind of magnifies a little bit.”
“I would even say the Frequently Asked Questions, like the ones that were asked before, but maybe you weren’t there at the previous press conference. Just like reading transcripts. I am not a professional at press conferences or anything else, but, just to make it a friendlier experience, I would to say “.
She also made a suggestion that the player take a “sick day”.
“We get fined if we don’t hold press conferences, but sometimes we get really sad,” Osaka said. “I feel like there should probably be a rule that we can take a sick day out of that and maybe reply to you guys in emails and things like that. I feel like it would be kind of fair but then again I’m just speaking on my own and I don’t know how Your guys act (referring to the media) – I think you’d probably like to catch us when we’re off the field too, so I’m not sure what’s fair.”
Regarding Haiti, Osaka said, “It’s really scary. I see the news every day. Honestly, the earthquake was kinda close to my parents’ school there. I’m honestly not sure how it happened, and I haven’t seen any pictures or video of it yet.”
At the 2020 Western & Southern Open – held at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York instead of the Cincinnati District – Osaka was the runner-up after pulling out with a hamstring injury. She would go on to win the US Open.