Naomi Osaka cries at press conference and pauses after exchange with reporter

(CNN) – Naomi Osaka, who is preparing to compete in her first tennis tournament since the Tokyo Olympics, paused briefly during a pre-tournament press conference on Monday after she started crying.

The Western & Southern Open press conference in Mason, Ohio began with Osaka answering questions about mental health and holding press conferences – topics that sparked widespread conversation earlier this year when he pulled out of the French Open because He did not want to participate in press conferences, citing his mental health.

Following those questions, Osaka was responding on preparing for the summer hard court portion of the season and her reaction to what is happening in Haiti following a devastating earthquake. Osaka’s father was born in Haiti, and the tennis superstar said in a tweet on Saturday that he would give the prize money he wins at the Western & Southern Open to Haiti’s relief efforts.

It was during that part of the session that Osaka began to wipe her face and covered her eyes with her hat. One reporter said, “I’m sorry,” while Osaka got excited, to which Osaka replied, “No, you’re very good.”

With Osaka crying, the moderator said they would take a short break. After a few minutes, Osaka ended the session again. She apologized for leaving.

Before this unfolded, Osaka had an exchange with Paul Daugherty, a reporter for the Cincinnati Enquirer who said, “You are not crazy about dealing with us, especially in this format. However, you have a lot of outside interests that benefit from having one. media platform “.

The Osaka agent later called the reporter a “bully”.

After the exchange, Daugherty posted a column noting that “in the Zoom format, there is no room for discussion or nuance,” adding that he wasn’t sure if Osaka understood the question or if it made her feel uncomfortable. But he praised her response, calling it “honest, thoughtful … and unlike any response I’ve received in 34 years covering sports in Cincinnati.”

Before the Olympics, the last time Osaka competed was at the French Open in May. Before the start of that tournament, the four-time world No. 2 and major tournament champion said she would not hold press conferences, knowing she would be fined, citing her mental health.

After a statement from the four major tournaments, the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open, which threatened further penalties, including suspension from the tournament, Osaka withdrew and revealed that he had “suffered long bouts of depression “since winning his first major title in 2018.

‘I’m solving it at the same time as you’

After answering back-to-back questions about press conferences, this is the exchange that occurred between columnist Daugherty and Osaka:

Daugherty: “You are not crazy about dealing with us, especially in this format. However, you have a lot of outside interests that benefit from having a media platform. I guess my question is how do you balance the two? And also do you have something you would like? share with us about what you said to Simone Biles? ” (At the beginning of the press conference, Osaka said that she had sent Biles a message but said she wanted to give him space, “because I know how overwhelming it can feel.”)

Osaka: “When you say I’m not crazy for dealing with you, what does that mean?”

Daugherty: “Well, you said you don’t particularly like the press conference format, however it seems to be obviously the most widely used means of communication for the media and through the media for the public.”

Osaka: “That’s interesting. I’d say the occasion, like when to do press conferences, is what I feel is the hardest.”

Osaka then paused, saying that she was thinking. The moderator suggested moving on and asked Osaka if she wanted to answer the following question.

Osaka: “No. I’m very interested in that point of view. So if you could repeat that, that would be great.”

Daugherty: “The question was that you don’t really like dealing with the media, especially in this format. You have suggested that there are better ways to do it, that we would like to try to explore that. My question, I suppose, is that you also have outside interests beyond tennis. who benefit from having the platform that the media presents to you. My question is, how do you think you could better balance the two? “

Osaka: “I feel like this is something that I really can’t speak for everyone. I can only speak for myself, but since I was younger I’ve had a lot of media interest in myself, and I think it’s because of my experience and how I play. Because first of all I’m a tennis player, that’s why a lot of people are interested in me.

“I would say in that sense that I am quite different from many. I really can’t help that there are some things that I tweet or some things that I say that create a lot of news articles or things like that. I know it’s because I’ve won a couple of Grand Slams and I’ve been able to do a lot of press conferences where these things happen.

“But I’d also say I’m not quite sure how to balance the two. I’m figuring it out at the same time as you, I’d say.”

After that, as Osaka received the next series of questions from a tennis journalist regarding preparation and Haiti, Osaka showed visible emotion.

Osaka agent Stuart Duguid said in a statement: “The Cincinnati Enquirer bully is the epitome of why player-media relations are so strained right now. Everyone at Zoom will agree that his tone was totally “Wrong and their sole purpose was to intimidate. Really appalling behavior. And this hint that Naomi owes her success off the court to the media is a myth, don’t be so self-indulgent.”

CNN has contacted Daugherty for comment.

‘There are people I don’t know that well who ask me very, very delicate questions’

Before the exchange with Daugherty, a reporter asked Osaka if there was any advice he could give reporters on how they can help improve the experience for athletes going through losses and tough times while asking questions during press conferences.

“For me, I feel like most of the time, it’s just me as a person, I’m quite open when it comes to press conferences,” Osaka said. “I feel like I’ve been that way my whole life. There are times when I would say that there are people I don’t know that well who ask me very, very sensitive questions. And then, especially after a loss, that kind of amplifies a bit.

“I’d say even repetitive questions, like questions we’ve been asked before, but maybe you guys weren’t present at the previous press conference. Like maybe reading the transcripts. I’m not a press conference pro or anything. but, just to make it a bit friendlier experience, I would say. “

He also suggested that a player take a “sick day.”

“We are fined if we don’t do press conferences, but sometimes we feel really sad,” Osaka said. “I feel like maybe there should be a rule that maybe we could take a sick day and maybe reply to you in the mail. electronics and that sort of thing. I feel like it would be fair, but then again, I’m just speaking from my side and I don’t know how you all are (referring to the media). I guess you might want to catch us when we’re heading straight off the pitch so I’m not sure what is fair. “

Regarding Haiti, Osaka said: “It’s really scary. I watch the news every day. Honestly, the earthquake was close to my parents’ school there. Honestly, I’m not quite sure how it’s going, and I haven’t seen it yet. no photo or video of that. “

At the 2020 Western & Southern Open, which was held at the USTA’s Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in the Cincinnati-area New York, Osaka was runner-up after retiring due to a hamstring injury. . She would later win the US Open.