Roland Garros: Naomi Osaka says she won’t answer questions during the tournament

Naomi Osaka will not answer questions from the media at Roland Garros, citing the impact of press conferences on players’ mental health.

The four-time Japanese Grand Slam champion, 23, said expecting players to answer questions after a defeat was like “kicking a person while they’re down.”

The world number two has won two Australian Open titles and two US Open titles, but is yet to win at Roland Garros.

The French Open begins in Paris on Sunday May 30.

“I often felt like people had no respect for the mental health of athletes and that is true every time I see or attend a press conference,” Osaka said.

“We often sit there and ask questions that we’ve been asked many times before or questions that spark doubt in our minds and I’m just not going to subject myself to people doubting me.”

She added that the decision had “nothing personal” against the tournament and that she hoped the “considerable” fine she expects to receive would go to a mental health charity.

Grand Slam rules state that players can be fined up to $20,000 (£14,160) if they fail to meet their media obligations.

It remains to be seen whether more players will follow Osaka’s approach, but her stance was applauded by other athletes.

British sprinter Dina Asher-Smith said it was “very correct” and that while there are “lots of excellent journalists doing incredible work”, some are “trying to find, and sometimes create, cracks in your psychology. .

“Some are trying to start a storm by using your name on a random topic and that is not acceptable,” she wrote in a lengthy post. on Twitter.

“Who defends the mental health of athletes in these situations?

“It’s anxiety-inducing to sit there and have to constantly pray silently that there’s no room for ambiguity in the answer you just gave, just in case someone decides to take it out of context and describing it differently for ‘clickbait’ – which could obviously cause enormous damage to your reputation and career.”

Australian Grand Slam doubles champion Rennae Stubbs, who now works as a commentator, wrote: “For someone who now works in media and knows how important quotes and soundbites are, I was also a player, with feelings!

“This decision by Naomi is truly an incredible moment for the media to LISTEN to these players and understand how difficult it is for many of them to do better and improve!”

This week sports business site Sportico reported that Osaka had earned $55.2 million (£39.1 million) in the past 12 months, which she said was a record for a female athlete.

The $20,000 fine she could face for missing a news conference is more than a player reaching the second round of qualifying for the French Open would earn.

“Naomi Osaka is right. But there are two sides to this coin,” said the former American Wimbledon finalist. Zina Garrison tweeted.

“She will be able to pay the fine, which is not the case with most athletes. Love, you are raising awareness about mental health in sports. Bring all parties together and work on a solution now.”

After posting her message, Osaka tweeted a video of former Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch repeating the phrase, “I’m just here so I don’t get fined,” during a press conference pre-Super Bowl in 2015.

And, as any journalist who has been in a postgame press conference with a losing player knows, it’s often exactly that.

Emotions run high and after a bad day at the office, most people can hide under a duvet at home rather than face an avalanche of questions in public.

Serena Williams left her Australian Open press conference in tears after her semi-final loss to Osaka in February, while Britain’s Johanna Konta was frustrated by questions questioning her big-points mentality after her quarter-final loss at Wimbledon in 2019.

Konta said she felt “harassed” and that the questioning was “disrespectful and condescending.”

Journalists would say they are simply asking the questions that fans who have paid good money to watch the players would like to know the answers to – but there is inevitably also the question: “is there a better way to do this?”

There has been no response so far to the BBC’s request for a response from the French Open organizers and tennis governing bodies.

Osaka’s sponsors, such as carmaker Nissan and All Nippon Airways, declined to comment, while Japanese instant noodle maker Nissin said in a statement: “As a sponsor, we respect the feelings and will athletes. However, we are not in a position to comment on their individual opinions and actions, so we will refrain from doing so.

The Grand Slam regulations state: “Unless injured and physically unable to appear, a player or team must attend the post-match press conference(s) held immediately or within 30 minutes of the conclusion of each match, including walkovers, whether the player or team was winning or losing.”

Although the fine can be up to $20,000, it is usually tied to a player’s ranking, with those in the top 10 facing higher penalties than those outside the top 100.

American Christian Harrison was fined $3,000 by the ATP after refusing to participate in an on-court interview at the Delray Beach Open in January, amid a dispute over port of the mask.