LogFAQs > #954550113

yeah, this is a complicated one

on the one side, the french open is a very unsympathetic organization, naomi osaka is great, sport needs to talk more about mental health, and press conferences are arguably super outdated

on the other hand, osaka announced this fairly out of the blue a few days back, I'm not sure that it was even possible for the sport to reform overnight just for her. the question of privilege and unfair advantage is also interesting - she undoubtedly has the money to accept a fine for skipping a difficult part of her job and focusing more on matches, but other less famous players don't. on the other hand, you can argue that osaka's press conferences will be longer and more scrutinized than other players, so maybe that's a unfair disadvantage for her in normal circumstances.

it's also hardly a coincidence that this happened when Osaka was in fairly bad form, and unlikely to do that well in the tournament. would this have happened at the US open? unlikely.

I dunno, it's a messy topic, and anyone who says it isn't is oversimplifying. I just hope she feels better soon and can get the help that she needs, then maybe there can be a more constructive dialogue about this stuff.

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