Naomi Osaka was fined $15,000 after she skipped the news conference for ‘mental health’ reasons following her first-round victory at the French Open on Sunday.
The star was blasted by sports reporters including Fox Sports Radio host Rob Parker who said the French Open should just tell Osaka not to show up for the tournament if she could not face answering questions.
‘If I was running the French Open, I’d tell her to stay home,’ Parker said on Fox Sports Radio. ‘I’d tell her take care of your mental health. You can’t come here and not participate in what we do.
📺@RobParkerFS1 on Naomi Osaka’s refusal to speak to the media at the French Open:
“If I was running the French Open, I’d tell her to stay home. Take care of yourself. You can’t come here and not participate in what we do…” pic.twitter.com/ml23723XVg
— FOX Sports Radio (@FoxSportsRadio) May 28, 2021
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
‘I wish these athletes would stop this attack of the media as if we’re the worst people on earth,’ Parker continued. ‘You would be afraid to live in this world without the gatekeepers and the people who are watching out for the small man, and the little man in this world.
‘This whole notion that it is mentally taxing to answer a few questions about tennis so your fans know how you feel going into the match, like it’s such a nuisance… oh it’s soo taxing!’ Parker mocked.
‘I’m not trying to make light of her talking about her mental health,’ Parker said. ‘If she has issues, stay home and get well! You signed up for this! Go work at the post office and people won’t ask you questions other than ‘How much is a stamp?’
‘This comes with the job. Really? Answer a few questions and then go on with your life. Is it really that taxing? Come on!’
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SOURCE: Daily Mail, James Gordan
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