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Naomi Osaka is set to return to the WTA tour this week at the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati, Ohio for the first time since withdrawing from the French Open to focus on her mental health.
At Osaka’s first press conference, things went awry with the 23-year-old breaking down in tears after a “fairly aggressively toned question,” according to tennis reporter Ben Rothenberg. The reporter from the Cincinnati Enquirer asked Osaka “how she benefits from a high-media profile but doesn’t like talking to media,”
The question was asked by longtime Cincinnati Enquirer sports columnist Paul Daugherty.
Naomi Osaka bursts into tears and exits podium while addressing how she has felt since withdrawing from French Open. pic.twitter.com/xBn8XRF8FB
— The Shadow League (@ShadowLeague) August 16, 2021
An emotional Osaka eventually left the podium as the moderator paused the press conference, but later returned to finish fielding questions.
After the incident, Osaka’s agent Stuart Duguid ripped the reporter for their actions.
“The bully at the Cincinnati Enquirer is the epitome of why player / media relations are so fraught right now,” Duguid said. “Everyone on that Zoom will agree that his tone was all wrong and his sole purpose was to intimidate. Really appalling behavior.
“And this insinuation that Naomi owes her off-court success to the media is a myth – don’t be so self-indulgent.”
Daugherty has yet to comment on his line of questioning.
