Posted on 05/31/2021 12:54:57 PM PDT by Conserv
Naomi Osaka will not play in this year's French Open.
After winning her fourth Grand Slam title at this year's Australian Open, Osaka announced her withdrawal from the second Grand Slam of the season on Monday. In a statement shared on social media, Osaka explained that she would be skipping the clay-court tournament to protect her mental well-being.
"I think now the best thing for the tournament, the other players and my well-being is that I withdraw so that everyone can get back to focusing on the tennis going on in Paris," Osaka said in the statement.
"I never wanted to be a distraction and I accept that my timing was not ideal and my message could have been clearer. More importantly I would never trivialize mental health or use the term lightly. The truth is that I have suffered long bouts of depression since the US Open in 2018 and I have had a really hard time coping with that."
Ahead of the French Open, Osaka announced her pledge to skip post-match press conferences. After her first-round match win against Patricia Maria Tig on Sunday, Osaka stood by her word and was handed a fine for her actions.
Osaka, the world's No. 2 ranked women's singles player, was fined $15,000 for not participating in a mandatory post-match press conference and was also given a warning that if she continues to not speak with the media she could risk even stronger penalties. She was risking default from the French Open and the tournament organizers at Roland Garros said there could be "more substantial fines and future Grand Slam suspensions."
Osaka has not made it past the third round at the French Open in her three career appearances. Last year, she was forced to withdraw because of a nagging hamstring injury. In 2019, Osaka lost to Karolina Pliskova and in 2018, she lost to Madison Keys. Both matches were straight-set losses.
The Cold War. Come on you’re not that stupid. I don’t know why you’ve decided to be a complete jackass on this thread. But you are doing it. Pointlessly. And stupidly. The fact that you keep responding over and over to the post makes me suspect you’re just drunk. Anyway, your position is idiotic. For reasons people have outlined. Reasons you haven’t bothered to address. So that means even you know you’re full of crap. Bye. Hydrate so you don’t get hungover.
Her job is playing tennis. Do the matches at tennis tournaments get decided by who gives the best press conferences? Please demonstrate that to me. The WTA only thrives because they have elite tennis players, not because they supplicate to the media.
No one is forcing the media to cover the French Open, no one should force players to talk to them. If it's mutually beneficial, then it works for both. That's how real capitalism works.
Your idea that their should be welfare for the media to help them do their job is ridiculous, and will actually do MORE harm to them.
You should pick up a book on conservative economics and study it.
My goodness. You clearly have feelings for this girl. For what it’s worth, I think she did the right thing. She did not wish to participate in the post game presser, part of a contractual agreement, so she took the association fine and withdrew. All is well. She did the right thing!!!
I’m not against her!!
The Grand Slam commission required the presser NOT the press. They have no power to do so. And I think you know that.
Now sit down and write Oksana a love letter.❤️
NO. Her job is BUILD THE BRAND. Actually multiple brands if she’s got any sponsorships. That means wearing the logos, doing the pressers, having the interviews.
Way back when when Dale Earnheart Jr was first starting his career there was a wonderful incident. He’d left his trailer to go do something and ran into some press. So he was chatting on camera, but he hadn’t been expecting press, so he wasn’t wearing any of his logos. His dad wanders out, sees him, turns around, goes into Jr’s trailer, comes back out with a hat and a jacket, walks up to the cluster and says “boy, I know full you well you were taught better than to give press without your logos, now put em on”.
Dale understood how the system works. I understand how the system works. And so do you. The WTA only thrives because these elite tennis players BUILD THE BRAND. Without the press conferences, without the logo time on TV, they got nothing. Nobody want to watch they feel no connection to play game. They want to root for somebody, they want to root against somebody, and to do that, they need to see some interviews, see people.
Such silliness.
You’ve addressed nothing. All you’re doing is calling people communists for understanding economics.
The players signed a contract. The contract include post match media availability. Nobody is forcing them. THEY SIGNED A CONTRACT.
I know all about conservative economics. You should pick up a book on SIGNED A CONTRACT and study it.
Actually, I don’t know much about her, and I’m not sure I care for her. But am not for surrendering to the media... and I used to be in the media.
The big bucks are the bucks you get from endorsements. You get those by having a big name. She just added to her name. Good for her. She is learning to play the game. The more people know you, the more endorsement money you will get.
Mea Culpa...Mea Culpa...
Good. The little racist bitch could miss every tournament.
Not necessarily. Part of what sponsors are paying for is to have their logo on your person when you give press conferences. By not giving press conferences...
Good for her, not the ridiculous fine.
The sponsors of the event could not care less who wins but rather want their company's logo in the background of the interview..........
Unfortunately being a participant of such events, you have a legal obligation to these interviews. In other words, if you don't want to play by their rules, then don't enter their tournament........IOW, indentured servitude.
Unfortunately the advertisers now have control over all major sporting events which includes the athletes competing.......
Good for her, not the ridiculous fine.
The sponsors of the event could not care less who wins but rather want their company's logo in the background of the interview..........
Unfortunately being a participant of such events, you have a legal obligation to these interviews. In other words, if you don't want to play by their rules, then don't enter their tournament........IOW, indentured servitude.
Unfortunately the advertisers now have control over all major sporting events which includes the athletes competing.......
Social media has made “journalists” unnecessary to the modern sports icon, why should anyone put up with their crap.
I would never, under any circumstances, talk to a paid propagandist.
She is to be admired for not allowing herself to be buttonholed by inane idiots spinning sordid stories to entertain the dumb masses (say it fast).
Patrick McGoohan's character refused to be a number. Just the same way, I would like to think I would refuse to be jerked around by the shady attempt at conformity for its own sake.
If one might be lauded for a grand entrance, then she might also be lauded for her grand exit.
The Prince of Clay ..thiem...got knocked out of the tournament...so yeah...miss naomi was goingvto have a difficult time.
Certainly but I could also see someone saying, "I won't answer any question unless it's about my court performance or the sport of tennis". Prying into personal lives is how tennis players like Monica Seles get stabbed.
This will play well in Japan. She will sell well there using commercials and photos where she can rehearse and pose. Its a good market and its all hers. Other places may be bigger. But she likes Japan. She probably hates China too.
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