As announced, Naomi Osaka did not face the media after her first round win in Paris. The 23-year-old wants to use it to protect her mental health. She was not ready to submit to people who doubted her, was the warning shot by the Japanese before the tournament in the direction of the media.
On Sunday, Osaka was fined $ 15,000 for their action. If she continues to skip her media appointments, she is even threatened with expulsion from the tournament. But criticism did not only come from the official side.
“Without the media that travel with the tennis circus and write about us, we would not be the athletes we are today. We wouldn’t have the same recognition and notoriety. The media are an important part of our sport, ”said 20-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal.
“It’s not something that you always enjoy, especially after defeat,” said the Serbian world number one Novak Djokovic. “But it’s part of our sport and our life on tour.”
Before her first round game, Belinda Bencic will also comment on the topic. The Swiss respect the decision of Osaka, which does a lot of good, but at the same time pokes at the Japanese. “On the other hand, I sometimes also have the feeling that she’s about to keep talking,” says the 24-year-old according to the “Aargauer Zeitung”.
Bencic will meet the Argentinean Nadia Podoroska at the start of the French Open in the afternoon.
