A tearful Naomi Osaka briefly left a press conference here on Monday after her relationship with the journalists was put under the spotlight by a reporter who accused her of using the media when it suits her.
Osaka has lately had a strained relationship with sections of the media, saying her mental health is adversely impacted by certain lines of questioning.
Hence on Monday when a local Cincinnati reporter at the Western and Southern Open suggested that Osaka benefits from her huge media profile but does not like speaking to reporters, the world number two teared up as she tried to formulate an answer.
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Background
“When you say I’m not crazy about dealing with you guys, what does that refer to?” asked Osaka, who is of Japanese-Haitian heritage.
“Ever since I was younger, I have had a lot of media interest on me, and I think it’s because of my background as well.
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“I can’t really help that there are some things that I tweet or some things that I say that kind of create a lot of news articles or things like that... but I would also say I’m not really sure how to balance the two. Like I’m figuring it out at the same time as you are, I would say.”
During the exchange, she wiped away tears and pulled her visor over her eyes to hide her face before the moderator called for a pause to proceedings.
Osaka left the room briefly but returned to complete the news conference after regaining her composure.
The exchange highlighted the challenges Osaka faces as one of the world’s most famous athletes.