sections of the media, saying her mental health is adversely impacted by certain lines of questioning. Hence when a local Cincinnati reporter at the Western and Southern Open suggested that Osaka benefits from her huge media profile but does not like speaking to reporters, the world No. 2 teared up as she tried to formulate an answer.
Asked Osaka “When you say I’m not crazy about dealing with you guys, what does that refer to? Ever since I was younger, I have had a lot of media interest on me, and I think it’s because of my background as well. I can’t really help that there are some things that I tweet or some things that I say that kind of create a lot of news articles or things like that… but I would also say I’m not really sure how to balance the two. Like I’m figuring it out at the same time as you are, I would say.”
During the exchange, she wiped away tears and pulled her visor over her eyes to hide her face before the moderator called for a pause to proceedings. Osaka left the room briefly but returned to complete the news conference after regaining her composure. The exchange highlighted the challenges Osaka faces as one of the world’s most famous athletes.
In the lead up to this year’s French Open in May, Osaka said she would be boycotting the obligatory post-match news conferences at the clay court major to protect her mental health. The decision led to a backlash from Grand Slam tournament organizers, who fined her and threatened to ban her from the majors if she refused to speak to the media.
