Tennis Random, Random (On Court)

[ponchi101]

I think it is a bit extreme. I would scrap the interviews because the truly insightful interview is a 1 in 1000 event; all others are pretty boring and inane. But to go to the extreme to claim that the affect your mental health? I find that too much. They are just asking you the same questions again and again, both when you lose or win.
About mental health? She could talk about it at the press conference and it would be more effective.
What I would scrap is the ON COURT interviews, specially prior to the match. Totally useless and that one is disruptive of the player:
"You are about to go on court against Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros. What are you thinking?"
(Inner voice: "I am getting creamed").
We can spare that one.

[ti-amie]

[ti-amie]

I don't use IG except to look at cats but I heard Naomi cited a presser where a "journalist" was berating Venus about her health and fitness.

[JTContinental]

Get it, Naomi! I love that the top two comments on her IG post about this decision are from Venus and Nicki Minaj

[JTContinental]

Real talk though, that will only be like two matches worth of fines

[ponchi101]

How are the journalists going to handle these interviews then? If you are interviewing the loser of the final, and there will always be one, what questions are Ok and which ones are not?
Do you only get to ask questions to the giggly victor?

[ti-amie]

[jazzyg]

As a working member of the media, I find Osaka's attitude impossibly selfish.

She's the highest paid female athlete in history. To me it's pathetic that she can't handle tough and/or stupid questions after a loss. Pathetic. It's part of the job and doing media is her obligation to the sport.

I remember the heat some media members took here a couple years ago when Konta lost to Strycoca in the Wimbledon quarterfinals and was asked about choking. Some of you thought it was appalling and out of bounds. If I had been an editor and my reporter had been covering the match, the reporter would have been reprimanded for NOT ASKING that question because it was exactly what appeared to happen. Answering questions comes with the territory. and sports are not so bloody important that a player should be immune from answering tough questions about a match just to protect his or her feelings.

There is plenty about Osaka to like. I applaud her social justice work and her stand on not playing last summer, but she's always come across as a bit disingenuous to me, and I don't like the way she goes through extended funks in which does not even look like she cares whether she wins matches. She's too talented to do that. My take: she knows she stinks on clay, which is inexplicable, and she's too fragile to talk about it.

[Deuce]

As a working member of the media, I find Osaka's attitude impossibly selfish.

She's the highest paid female athlete in history. To me it's pathetic that she can't handle tough and/or stupid questions after a loss. Pathetic. It's part of the job and doing media is her obligation to the sport.

I remember the heat some media members took here a couple years ago when Konta lost to Strycoca in the Wimbledon quarterfinals and was asked about choking. Some of you thought it was appalling and out of bounds. If I had been an editor and my reporter had been covering the match, the reporter would have been reprimanded for NOT ASKING that question because it was exactly what appeared to happen. Answering questions comes with the territory. and sports are not so bloody important that a player should be immune from answering tough questions about a match just to protect his or her feelings.

There is plenty about Osaka to like. I applaud her social justice work and her stand on not playing last summer, but she's always come across as a bit disingenuous to me, and I don't like the way she goes through extended funks in which does not even look like she cares whether she wins matches. She's too talented to do that. My take: she knows she stinks on clay, which is inexplicable, and she's too fragile to talk about it.

Interesting perspective.

First comment: No-one should be obligated to speak with any person they don't want to speak with. This is part of being a free human being. As I wrote yesterday in the 'Tennis Random, Random' thread about Osaka's decision: The jobs of those in the media should never override the basic right of each individual to decide whether to speak with another individual or not - and perhaps especially when knowing that what is said will be transmitted to millions of people - and at times even inaccurately so.
As tennis players, their only obligation is to play in the tournaments they enter, and to adhere to the schedule of matches and the rules of the game. Neither the ATP nor the WTA should be able to force them, under threat of fines, to talk with any individual, or any group of individuals, whom they do not wish to speak with.
I find it appallingly ridiculous that any entity can control an individual like that. They are tennis players - they are not media stars unless they choose to be - and that should be entirely the decision of the player. They do not owe the sport, the media, or the fans anything other than to try their best when they are on the court - period.

However...

I remember the heat some media members took here a couple years ago when Konta lost to Strycoca in the Wimbledon quarterfinals and was asked about choking. Some of you thought it was appalling and out of bounds. If I had been an editor and my reporter had been covering the match, the reporter would have been reprimanded for NOT ASKING that question because it was exactly what appeared to happen. Answering questions comes with the territory. and sports are not so bloody important that a player should be immune from answering tough questions about a match just to protect his or her feelings.

I mostly agree with you here ^. If a player presents him/herself to the media, the media should be free to ask them these types of 'difficult' questions. But I maintain that the player should have no obligation to speak with any member of the media. Their job is to play tennis - period. Anything else they do should be done entirely at their own discretion; as a free choice - whether it's talking with the media, doing sponsorship ads, promoting the game in some way, etc.

If ever a player agrees to talk with the media, and feels that a member of the media steps over the line of respect/decency, the player should simply refuse to answer the question - and if it's way over the line, to tell the member of the media to kiss their ass, etc. In short, they should be able to defend themselves - and should do so when the circumstance calls for it.

I also agree with you - and ponchi - that it's not an enviable trait to be 'too fragile' to be asked tough questions. As you said, this is sport - it's not life and death. In the grand scheme of things, it's not among the most important things on Earth (though the media often make it out to be).
Rather than running away from the issue - which I don't believe helps their 'mental health' at all, as avoiding perceived problems very rarely helps to remedy the problems - players should be encouraged to 'face the music' and to hit back when they feel they are wronged. That's the way to build one's self-esteem, not by running away.

[ti-amie]

By the same token the media has to rise above the level of "gotcha" journalism. It works both ways.

[ponchi101]

Why is she assuming that players are having mental health issues?
Her point is that IF YOU HAVE mental health issues, you should not be required to answer such questions. But what percentage of the players' population has such issues?
Does she have any such problems, for example?

[Deuce]

I don't like how she says to direct further questions to Stuart.
If you're going to take a stand like this, you need to answer the questions yourself; you need to be prepared for the feedback, whether it's positive or negative.

I'm afraid that Naomi is becoming a little too much of a 'diva' now. With all the praise she's received - much of it deserved -, maybe it's gone to her head and she's beginning to think that she's bigger than the game.

[JazzNU]

In terms of Naomi skipping post-match press conferences at RG. From the responses I've been seeing from many members of media, I think they are helping to make Naomi's case much more than their own.

[the Moz]

Good on Naomi! Looking to change things up and progress a different way of thinking. She's a champ on court and a leader off

[JazzNU]

Not convinced, how about all the other professional athletes giving interviews after both wins and defeats? NBA for example. Male players don't seem to be complaining either. Doesn't make a good impression of WTA, does it?

Well that's a bad example. The NBA is very likely where Naomi got the idea.