I hadn't seen this about Osaka - a very interesting stance to take and I'm interested to see what else happens. I do agree with her reasoning for doing it though, so many athletes from all sorts of sports are struggling with the pressure/mental health aspect and I don't think anyone should be obliged to take part in press conferences if they absolutely don't want to. People watch tennis for the match, not for what someone says after it.

Apparently she has withdrawn from the French Open.

Interesting - as a non-tennis fan I guess I don't know what the backlash will be but I can imagine that the organisers etc won't be particularly happy over one of the top seeds pulling out. Maybe it will be the catalyst for the sport to actually make changes to support the athletes.

Fully with her on this - these press conferences mostly end up being completely pointless anyway with the same tired questions and the same tired answers. Good for her. Especially as she seems to be winding up Piers Morgan.

This isn't a situation I ever imagined or intended when I posted a few days ago. I think now the best thing for the tournament, the other players and my wellbeing is that I withdraw so that everyone can get back to focusing on the tennis going on in Paris.

 

"I never wanted to be a distraction and I accept my timing was not ideal and my message could have been clearer. More importantly, I would never trivialise mental health or use the term lightly.

 

"The truth is I have suffered long bouts of depression since the US Open in 2018 and I have had a really hard time coping with that.

 

"Anyone that knows me knows I am introverted and anyone that has seen me at tournaments will notice that I'm often wearing headphones as that helps dull my social anxiety.

 

"Though the tennis press has always been kind to me (and I want to apologise to all the cool journalists who I may have hurt), I am not a natural public speaker and get huge waves of anxiety before I speak to the world's media.

 

"I get really nervous and find it stressful to always try to engage and give you the best answers I can.

 

"So here in Paris I was already feeling vulnerable and anxious, so I thought it was better to exercise self-care and skip the press conferences. I announced it preemptively because I do feel like the rules are quite outdated in parts and I wanted to highlight that.

 

"I wrote privately to the tournament apologising and saying that I would be more than happy to speak with them after the tournament as the Slams are intense.

 

"I'm going to take some time away from the court now, but when the time is right I really want to work with the Tour to discuss ways we can make things better for the players, press and fans.

"

 

 

Osaka's statement.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2021...ess-conferences

 

This dynamic is only exacerbated in women’s tennis, a highly visible enterprise that takes place not just in a largely white male space, but a white‑male‑with‑free‑food space. That sense of voracious, engorged entitlement often manifests itself in exceptionally creepy ways. Question: “I noticed you tweeted a picture. Are you prepared that if you go on a long run you may be held up as a sex symbol, given you’re very good looking?” (Genie Bouchard, Wimbledon 2013.) Question: “You’re a pin-up now, especially in England. Is that good? Do you enjoy that?” (A 17-year-old Maria Sharapova, Wimbledon 2004.) And of course there are plenty of decent, curious journalists out there doing decent, curious things. In a way, this is what makes the chronic lack of self‑awareness so utterly self-defeating. Read the room. We are not the good guys here. We are no longer the power. And one of the world’s best athletes would literally rather quit a grand slam tournament than have to talk to the press. Rather than scrutinising what that says about her, it might be worth asking what that says about us.

 

I endorse every single word of this article. So much of this event is about the entitlement of the media not getting what they want for a change, couldn't be more in support of Osaka right now.

I always find press conferences weird in any sport, often they are full of terrible questions and especially if you lose an event/match/game the emotion of losing must be so hard to deal with. I watch a lot of football matches and it's rare a losing player/manager ever comes out to the media within the first 20 minutes. It's a bit of double edged sword as for sports to continue with the same magnitude and prestige now, they need to focus on media interactions otherwise they will flag behind esports in the future.

The press conferences always happen when the sports people are not given any time to rest either, particularly if it's a sport that involves running. You see the sports people wiping sweat from their head and breathing heavily during the interviews and they often are still wearing the clothes that must be drenched in sweat and feel uncomfortable.

I have to say I really didn't pay much attention to interviews / press conferences before this but even just listening to the ones I'm watching now (in my case cycling) it's suddenly hitting me just how... negative they are? Even when the athlete is being positive about what's to come / what's happened they're still being asked 'but aren't you nervous?' and other questions of the like which really can't be good for the way they view themselves.

Petra Kvitova has now withdrawn because of media duties but in her case, she fell over after doing an interview, injuring her ankle. :(

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2021...ess-conferences

I endorse every single word of this article. So much of this event is about the entitlement of the media not getting what they want for a change, couldn't be more in support of Osaka right now.

Wow, that's shocking to read those questions,

The grand slams have released a statement pledging to improve 'player experience' and have commended Osaka for 'sharing the pressures and anxieties she is feeling' - quite the turnaround!

Djokovic-Nadal LVIII is on!

And we will have a new winner in the womens singles as all four semi-finalists have never won a grand slam.

 

Its Krejcikova v Sakkari (17) and Pavlyuchenkova (31) v Zidansek.

Haha true to form then re the Women's side.

 

I'm sure they just pick balls from a bag pre-tournament to decide the seeds.

Novak Djokovic ended Rafael Nadal's reign at the French Open with a four-set win in a classic semi-final which will be ranked among the all-time great matches on the Roland Garros clay.

 

Serbian top seed Djokovic won 3-6 6-3 7-6 (7-4) 6-2 against Nadal, champion in each of the last four years.

 

Nadal, going for a record-extending 14th title, lost at Roland Garros for only the third time in 108 matches.

Barbora Krejcikova takes the first set of the Roland Garros women's singles final 6-1.

And she wins 6-1 2-6 6-4. Well done to her but her long tactical toilet break at the end of the second set wasn't very fair. I watched the final on my laptop while also keeping an eye on the Wales match on the TV.

Novak Djokovic won his 19th Grand Slam title after fighting back from two sets down to beat Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas in the French Open final.

 

Top seed Djokovic, 34, was in deep trouble before rediscovering his energy to win 6-7 (6-8) 2-6 6-3 6-2 6-4.

I half expected Novak to win. But Stef played his part too. I'm sure his day will come.

 

So next year, will we be just left with Eurosport?