Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka, current number two in the world, announced today that he will not offer a media appearance during his participation in the Roland Garros tournament for “mental health” reasons.
The 23-year-old athlete said that press conferences can generate “doubts” in athletes that end up undermining their performance, in a note posted on social media.
“I have often thought that people have no regard for the mental health of athletes,” Osaka said., who added that he has seen “many videos of athletes crashing in a newsroom after losing a game “, something that has also happened to her, as she said.
“I think that this situation as a whole is like finishing off a person who has fallen, and I don’t understand the reasons behind it, “he said.
Osaka noted that his decision not to attend the media during Roland Garros “has no personal motive” related to the tournament that will be played in France from next day 30, and that will have a limited amount of public in the stands.
What’s more, noted that he does not mind exposing himself to a possible fine by the organizers of sports tournaments, whom he accused of “ignore the mental health of athletes”.
Osaka, current champion of the Australian and United States Opens, will meet her first rival at Roland Garros in a raffle to be held this Thursday.