Osaka’s struggles

The recently concluded Tokyo Olympics put mental health under the spotlight after four-time Olympic gold medallist Simone Biles pulled out of the women’s gymnastics team final and couple of other competitions to focus on her mental health (“Tearful Japanese tennis star Osaka briefly leaves press conference,” Aug. 18, Gulf Today).

Osaka too did something similar to Biles earlier, pulling out from Roland Garros, Wimbledon and French Open for the sake of her mental well-being. In light of this, I concur with Osaka’s agent Stuart Duguid who rebuked the line of questioning by the reporter of a Cincinnati newspaper.

 “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 behaviour,” said Duguid. That indeed is hitting the nail on the head.

While Osaka is the world No 2 tennis star, it is more than evident that the youngster is still grappling with anxiety. Media personnel do enjoy the benefit of quizzing the person before them, but sensitivity should play a crucial role in the line of questioning. And in this case, the reporter had clearly crossed the line.

Duguid did right in calling the reporter’s warped logic behind the question by stating that ‘the insinuation that Naomi owes her off-court success to the media is a myth - don’t be so self-indulgent.’

One needs to understand that Osaka pulled out of the French Open after organizers warned her that she could face expulsion from the tournament should she avoid taking part in media duties. She was fined $15,000 for not taking part in a news conference following her first-round match at Roland Garros.

That she is facing a lot of pressure interacting with the media seems clear. Isn’t her stellar performance on the court good enough for the media?

Caroll Smith
By email