Naomi Osaka Bursts Into Tears During Press Conference After Exchange with Reporter

• Naomi Osaka broke down in tears after an exchange with a journalist during a recent press conference
• The journalist seemed to suggest the four-time major champion and world No. 2 used the media when it was convenient for her
• Osaka had in May boycotted press conferences and was subsequently fined for her decision
• At the time, she cited mental health as the key reason she would not be attending press conferences

Tennis star Naomi Osaka broke down in tears in her very first press conference since withdrawing from the French Open after an awkward exchange with a reporter.

The Japanese star is preparing to compete in her first tournament since the Tokyo Olympics and she was on media duty on Monday, August 16.

It was during the Western & Southern Open news conference in Mason, Ohio, that Osaka burst into tears after a reporter subtly accused her of using the media when it suits her.

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How the exchange went down

The presser went south when one reporter, identified by The Guardian as Paul Daugherty, decided to tackle the question of Osaka’s relationship with the media head-on.

“The question was you are not fond of dealing with the media in this format. My question is, you also have outside interest outside tennis that are served by having media conferences. How are you able to best balance the two?” the reporter asked.

Osaka, the world number two, responded by saying:

“For me I feel this is something I can’t really speak for everybody, I can only speak for myself. But ever since I was younger, I’ve had a lot of media interest on me, and I think it’s because of my background as well as how I play.

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“Because in the first place I’m a tennis player, which is why a lot of people are interested in me. So I would say in that regard I’m quite different to a lot of people, and I can’t really help that there are some things I tweet or say that create a lot of news articles or things like that.

“But I would also say, I’m not really sure how to balance it too, I’m figuring it out at the same time as you are, I would say.”

It was at this point that Osaka broke down in tears while trying to listen to the next question before leaving the room for a few seconds to compose herself.

In the wake of the press conference, Osaka’s agent Stuart Duguid slammed Daugherty, calling him a “bully”:

“The bully at the Cincinnati Enquirer is the epitome of why player/media relations are so fraught right now,” said Duguid. “Everyone on that Zoom will agree that his tone was all wrong and his sole purpose was to intimidate. Really appalling behaviour,” he said.

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On his part, Daugherty followed up his questions with a column where he remained adamant that perhaps the tennis star did not understand his question; he also praised her response as “brave”.

Osaka’s last time to compete prior to the Olympics was at the French Open in May.

At the time, she said she would not be doing press conferences, even though she knew she would get fined, as she cited her mental health for her decision to boycott media.

Naomi Osaka launches a Barbie doll

Briefly News previously reported that Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka took to social media to share exciting news with her fans. Naomi has her own doll in collaboration with Barbie and is thrilled about the news. She wrote:

"I first teamed up with @Barbie in 2019 and today we’re introducing the Barbie Role Model Naomi Osaka doll. I hope every child is reminded that they can be and do anything."

Source: Briefly News