Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka admitted she had “done a lot of harm” at Roland Garros this year. Before the start of the French Open, Osaka had announced that she would not be doing press conferences to preserve her mental well-being.
After his victory in the first round at Roland Garros, Osaka did an interview on the court but refused to attend the press conference. After receiving strong criticism on this subject as well as a first sanction, Osaka decided to withdraw from the rest of Roland Garros and to skip Wimbledon.
“I feel like there are a lot of things that I did wrong at that point … Of course, I don’t think the same will happen again. But I would say maybe to be…
I would have thought about it a little more … I didn’t know it was going to become such a big deal, “Osaka said at his pre-tournament press conference at the US Open, according to Daniel Kaplan.
Osaka didn’t want to be a “distraction”
“Hey everyone, this is not a situation I ever imagined or considered when I posted a few days ago.
I think now the best thing for the tournament, for the other players and for my well-being, is for me to step aside so that everyone can focus again on the tennis which is underway in Paris “, Osaka said in a statement posted on his Twitter after winning the first round at Roland Garros.
“I never wanted to be a distraction. I accept the fact that my timing was not ideal and my message could have been clearer. More importantly, I would never trivialize sanity or use it. run lightly.
The truth is, I’ve had long bouts of depression since the US Open in 2018 and struggled to cope with them. Anyone who knows me knows that I am an introvert, and anyone who has seen me at tournaments will notice that I often wear headphones because it helps alleviate my social anxiety.
While the tennis press has always been kind to me (and I especially want to apologize to all the cool journalists I have hurt), I am not a natural speaker and I feel huge waves of pressure. anxiety before speaking to the world’s media.
I get very nervous and find it stressful to always try to engage and give you the best possible answers. So here in Paris I was already feeling vulnerable and anxious, so I figured it was best to be cautious and avoid press conferences.
I announced it as a precaution because I feel the rules are quite outdated in part, and I wanted to point that out. I also wrote privately to the tournament to apologize and say that I would be more than happy to chat with them after the tournament as the Slams are intense.
I’m going to step away from the court a bit now, but when the time is right I really want to work with the Tour to discuss ways to make things better for the players, the press and the fans.
Anyway, I hope you are all doing well and taking care of yourself, I love you guys. I will see you when I see you. “, Declared the Japanese champion at the time of her withdrawal from the French slam.
