In her first press conference since her departure from the French Open in June, Naomi Osaka had to move away from the podium after breaking down in tears.
According to tennis reporter Ben Rothenberg, The Enquirer‘s Paul Daugherty asked the tennis star “a fairly aggressively toned question about how she benefits from a high-media profile but doesn’t like talking to media.” Osaka attempted to respond but she began crying after answering, and the Women’s Tennis Association moderator “paused the press conference. Osaka left the room, recollected herself, and returned to answer the remaining question in English.” Upon her return, the 23-year-old athlete answered questions in Japanese to finish the press conference.
“This was deeply frustrating. The tennis media people who know Naomi (and whom Naomi knows) had it going smoothly, and then a local reporter completely derailed it. Don’t blame this on “tennis media” again, folks,” Rothenberg added. “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,” he continued, adding a hopeful note that “Naomi had many good moments otherwise!”
Osaka’s agent Stuart Duguid released a statement shortly after the incident: “The bully at the Cincinnati Enquirer is the epitome of why player / media relations are so fraught right now. 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.”
The world No. 2 previously withdrew from the French Open and a paid a $15,000 USD fine after she refused to talk to the media during post-game interviews, revealing that she has been suffering from long bouts of depression since the 2018 U.S. Open.
Four Qs or so went smoothly, Naomi was doing well.
Then someone from Cincinnati Enquirer asked her a fairly aggressively toned question about how she benefits from a high-media profile but doesn’t like talking to media. Osaka tried to engage, but after her answer began crying.
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) August 16, 2021
The WTA moderator paused the press conference. Osaka left the room, recollected herself, and returned to answer the remaining question in English.
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) August 16, 2021
It was Paul Daugherty of The Enquirer, Wendy.https://t.co/NFVvEszsI9
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) August 16, 2021
Osaka then answered Japanese Qs to complete her press conference.
This was deeply frustrating. The tennis media people who know Naomi (and whom Naomi knows) had it going smoothly, and then a local reporter completely derailed it.
Don’t blame this on “tennis media” again, folks.
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) August 16, 2021
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
Naomi Osaka’s agent Stuart Duguid:
“The bully at the Cincinnati Enquirer is the epitome of why player / media relations are so fraught right now. Everyone on that Zoom will agree that his tone was all wrong and his sole purpose was to intimidate. Really appalling behavior.”(1/2)
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) August 16, 2021
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
In related news, take a look at Naomi Osaka’s collaborative Yonex EZONE Racket with Takashi Murakami.
