Tennis star Naomi Osaka returned to a news conference Monday, three months after dropping out of the French Open because she wanted to avoid the stress and negative thoughts associated with doing press conferences.
And her return at a tournament in Cincinnati was not without incident. Osaka briefly left a virtual press conference in tears before returning and apologizing for leaving. But afterward, her agent called a local columnist a “bully” for his tone with Osaka and claiming that he tried to intimidate her.
Here’s what happened. Osaka had answered three questions before Cincinnati Enquirer sports columnist Paul Daugherty asked, “You are not crazy about dealing with us, especially in this format. Yet you have a lot of outside interests that are served by having a media platform. I guess my question is, how do you balance the two?”
Osaka paused and then said, “When you say I’m not crazy about dealing with you guys, what does that refer to?”
Daugherty said, “Well, you’ve said you don’t especially like the news conference format, yet that seems to be obviously the most widely used means of communicating to the media and through the media to the public.”
Osaka started to answer and paused and then was given the chance to skip the question by the moderator of the press conference. But she asked Daugherty to repeat his question.
Then she said, “In the first place, I’m a tennis player, that’s why a lot of people are interested in me. I would say in that regard I’m quite different to a lot of people and I can’t really help there are some things that I tweet or some things that I say that kind of create a lot of news articles and things like that. And I know that it’s because I’ve won a couple Grand Slams and I’ve gotten to do a lot of press conferences that these things happen, but I would also say I’m not really sure how to balance the two. I’m figuring it out at the same time you are.”
As the next question was being asked by another reporter, Osaka started to tear up. She left the press conference for about five minutes and then returned.
Her agent, Stuart Duguid, told The New York Times in a text: “The bully at The Cincinnati Enquirer is the epitome of why player/media relations are so fraught right now. Everyone on that Zoom will agree that his tone was all wrong, and his sole purpose was to intimidate.”
Actually, I’m not sure everyone would agree with that. I found Daugherty’s question to be a pertinent one for Osaka’s return to tennis press conferences. It didn’t feel disrespectful or intimidating or out of line. And, frankly, Osaka’s answer seemed poised and insightful.
In his column (which was well done, by the way), Daugherty wrote, “Honest, thoughtful … and unlike any answer I’ve ever gotten in 34 years covering sports in Cincinnati.”
On ESPN’s “Around the Horn,” panelist Sarah Spain said that the point of Daugherty’s question was a “fine one,” but that, perhaps, it unintentionally leaned into the criticism Osaka has gotten for not wanting to do press conferences, but promoting her brand (as is her right) through other forms of media.
Panelist Clinton Yates thought the question was “unnecessary.” But isn’t her first press conference back a fair time — in fact, the appropriate time — to ask how she is learning to balance dealing with the media while also communicating with the world to promote her causes and interests?
Panelist Frank Isola said he understood the agent was trying to protect his player, but that he didn’t believe the question was out of line at all, particularly since it was her first press conference since the French Open.
“He’s giving her a chance to address it,” Isola said. “I thought it was asked in a respectful manner. Excuse me that not everyone is asking a softball question.”
And, again, as Isola reminded us: Osaka answered the question and answered it well.
Then again, all this obviously still impacts Osaka, which led ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan to say on the air, “When I watch her and I see that emotion, I get worried for her. I get concerned for someone who has been talking about stepping away to improve her mental health, which I support 100%. … My initial response to this is take care of yourself. Don’t worry about the questions. Don’t worry about tennis right now. Do what you need to do.”
Like the other panelists, MacMullan did not think Daugherty was a bully and she even recommended everyone read Daugherty’s column, which she described as “very, very thoughtful.”
I would recommend it, too.
This piece originally appeared in The Poynter Report, our daily newsletter for everyone who cares about the media. Subscribe to The Poynter Report here.
