Naomi Osaka Refuses To Attend Press Conferences Which Cause Her Emotional Distress

Highlights

Naomi Osaka has refused to attend the press conferences at the cost of her mental health
French Tennis Federation has called her act to be a “phenomenal error”
The Japanese tennis star has been very vocal about mental health issues among the athletes.

As a step to promote good mental health among the athletes and sportsmen, Naomi Osaka has announced that she will no longer attend any press conferences arranged for her. She has stated that press conferences for athletes, especially female ones, are organized to bring down the morale of the players. This must be avoided at all costs. Although the head of French tennis authorities has called the action of this rising Japanese tennis star to be a “phenomenal error”, Osaka continues to maintain her stand on the mental health of athletes.

Reaction Of The French Tennis Federation

The strong stand of this 23 years old athlete has flabbergasted the French Tennis Federation President, Gilles Moretton. He has blasted the four-time major winner Naomi Osaka stating that her actions have been irresponsible for the overall field of tennis. Gilles Moretton has further gone on to state that it is extremely necessary to have a strong sense of governance. He also believes that such strong governance is not yet imposed upon the players, and the motto of these conferences is to promote tennis.

❤️ pic.twitter.com/EegFSKnoie
— NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) May 26, 2021

Fine Assigned On Naomi Osaka

It has been announced that since every player is bound to hold a press conference after major matches, Osaka will be fined up to $20,000 for skipping any conference. This is unlikely to cause any kind of financial impact as she made about $37 million in 2020 that is more than any female sportsperson made in that year.

❌ Naomi Osaka has said she won't give any news conferences during the French Open because she wants to protect her mental health.

But will her move change anything – and what might the effects of her media silence be?#bbctennis
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) May 28, 2021

Naomi Osaka has taken a very strong decision while stating that she will be donating the fines to the mental health charities. She has added that most press people do not have any consideration for the mental health of the athletes. This has rung true for her in most of the press conferences. She has tweeted all of these events on Twitter for everyone to know about her true intentions.

Clarifications By This 23 Years Old Tennis Star

Naomi Osaka has further clarified that the press conferences have been a way to distract and demotivate herself from the events which are crucial for the games. The questions which are asked in these press conferences have often seeded doubts in her mind about her abilities. She has added that she will no longer be a part of these proceedings that have done nothing but harm to the athletes.