I dunno how constructive it is to pick wording apart in a statement about mental health when the message is so clear though?
the message wasnât entirely clear tho and i think thatâs part of the problem, itâs been interpreted by various people as anywhere between âiâve been struggling with my mental health so will take some time out of press conferencesâ to âi think press conferences are innately harmful because athletes face questions which introduce doubt into their mindsâ
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both of the above are valid btw but theyâre gonna lead to different reactions from people.
her sisterâs response clarified it a bit
last paragraph is the most compelling imo, clearly putting players in a room on their own in front of 20 odd journalists after a loss isnât the way to do it
Swiatekâs already lost more games in this set than in any sets in her run last year
Really thought Juvan was gonna do it for a while. Swiatek was working her so hard in those final few games though.
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feel so sorry for Andreescu. still remains a total enigma outside of hardcourts cos of all the injuries sheâs had
slam title and two 1000 level titles + a final on hardcourts, only 9 WTA matches played on grass and clay combined
could Osaka pull something like this? itâd probably be what Iâd do if I was in her shoes. the press conferences (in most other sports too) are bullshit tbh and should be probably reserved for big events like the final or whatever
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best suggestion iâve seen are to change the format of the pressers so that theyâre less isolating for the people being asked questions, and make them optional or with a financial incentive for participating (not that the fines make any difference to Osaka, she is incredibly wealthy and they are paid into a player development fund tbf). also to introduce a code of conduct for the people asking the questions
I still think they have some value, some journalists like Ben Rothenberg have used press conferences to challenge players to e.g. speak out on the Zverev domestic abuse stuff.
also as a nerd i really enjoy reading the transcripts from a lower ranked playerâs presser after a big win
whole thingâs become a massive storm in a teacup though given how little most people care about them. says a lot that itâs ended up being a bigger news story than the Zverev thing
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Sheâs withdrawn 
Gutted to see that, really hope she looks after herself
The way the slams mobilised to release that statement yesterday was an absolute shitshow, dunno what they expected to come out of it
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Ahh fuck this is bullshit
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I guess what I was (badly) trying to express was that they shouldnât lead to different reactions? idk
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Found the defence/disagreement of her stance âpress is important to grow the gameâs coverageâ really odd tbh. People watch sport cos of the action on the pitch/field, almost nobody outside of any given sportâs hardcore fans really care about some bland interviews.
Maaaybe itâs different with Tennis as Iâm only a casual fan, idk. Iâve probably watched a couple of hundred football matches in the last few years and under five post-match interviews though, wouldnât bother me at all if they went.
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Yeah, I get your point. I wish I hadnât been so nitpicky in my posts, Iâm a long term Osaka stan and was posting through that lens but I shouldâve made it clearer that I supported her instead of fixating on how her statement would be received
Properly gutted now, this is so shit
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Yeah, really sucks 
so sad that she feels that this is the the option. Think sheâs been totally hung out to dry by the authorities.
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Didnât SAF get fined a decade or do ago for refusing to do post match interviews?
Basically the âgrow the gameâs coverageâ argument is bogus & the real reason is âwe have a contract with our sponsors that all the players must be seen sat in front of their logos at every opportunityâ
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Was expecting this to be a joke that lead to some denouncement at the end. Turns out that this might be someoneâs (this ainât journalism) actual opinion:
Had completely forgotten about Ferguson. Wasnât his beef with the BBC/MOTD specifically? Canât remember what the argument was for why he had to do it, was probably similarly rubbish claims.
Your second sentence is bang on, sadly.
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Sheâs been forced to go public about her depression and yet SHEâs the one thatâs apologised.
Everyone involved from the media to the tour and slam organisers should be hanging their heads in shame right now. Doubt most of them give a shit though.
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Funny how clearly I remember this.
irony in this is that the people in tennis who are consistently in most need of public and press scrutiny are the tournament organisers and federation presidents who never have to face it themselves
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