Tennis

[TheHowieLama]

Cautious Clay.

[Josef Svejk]

3 minutes ago, TheHowieLama said:

Cautious Clay.

Inspired! 

[YorkshireRed]

Seems like the organisers of The French Open, and maybe Tennis generally, have some way to go before they can say they genuinely make the wellbeing of the players a priority.

 

On the surface it seems the understanding shown to Naomi Osaka has been way short of where the sport should be in 2021.

[Dr Nowt]

We’re not the good guys: Osaka shows up problems of press conferences

 

Jonathan Liew11h ago

 

Young athletes are expected to answer the most intimate questions in a cynical and often predatory environment

 

Mon 31 May 2021 21.00 BST

Last modified on Tue 1 Jun 2021 04.37 BST

 

Regular attendees of Arsenal press conferences at the Emirates Stadium – in the before-times, when these things still happened – will tell of a mysterious character by the name of First Question Man. Nobody ever discovered who FQM worked for, or if he was even a journalist at all. His only real talent, if you can call it that, was to sit in the front row and make sure he asked the first question, usually by barking it while everyone was still taking their seats.

 

Why FQM did this was never clear. It can’t have been ego: I never met anybody who knew his real name. Nor was it an attempt to glean some sort of privileged insight: indeed, most of his questions were actually statements: banal bromides beloved of press conferences the world over. “Arsène, you must be happy with the win.” “Unai, a point seemed like a fair result.” “Mikel, a tough afternoon, your thoughts.”

 

Naturally it was to FQM that my thoughts turned when the world No 2 Naomi Osaka announced that she would be boycotting press conferences at the French Open in order to preserve her mental health. As a journalist who has sat through thousands of these inane obligations, and entertained numerous apocalyptic thoughts in the process, my first instinct was naturally to sympathise.

 

And yet, the resounding chorus of condemnation and blind outrage suggests that there are some surprisingly strong feelings out there. For some, the press conference is clearly a sacred way of life. You may take our lives. But you’ll never take our ability to ask an athlete “how they felt it went out there today, you know?”.

 

On Monday night, after being fined and threatened with expulsion, Osaka quit the tournament altogether. Meanwhile her stance has been universally scorned by the print media, who as we know have traditionally been the best people to judge standards of behaviour. An “uppity princess”, one newspaper columnist wrote. Others have more soberly pointed out that for any athlete, facing the media is simply part of the job, and that by seceding from the process entirely Osaka is setting a “dangerous precedent”.

 

At this point, it’s worth considering exactly what this “danger” consists of. All over the world, the free press is already under unprecedented assault from authoritarian governments, tech giants and online disinformation. In many countries journalists are literally being killed for doing their job. Meanwhile in Paris, tennis journalists are facing the prospect of having to construct an article entirely from their own words. One of these things is not like the others.

 

The real problem here, it strikes me, is not Osaka or even the impressive self-importance of the written media. Rather, it’s the press conference itself, which when you think about it is quite a weird idea, and one that essentially fails at its central function. The great conceit of the press conference is that it is basically a direct line from the athlete to the public at large, that we humble scribes are but the people’s faithful eyes and ears in the land of the gods.

 

In case you hadn’t noticed, this hasn’t really been true for a while. Athletes now have their own direct line to the public, and spoiler: it’s not us. Hard as it is to believe, Osaka’s function as an entertainer and corporate billboard is contingent on her playing tennis at an appointed hour, rather than being forced to sit in a windowless room explaining herself to a roomful of middle-aged men.

 

And so the modern press conference is no longer a meaningful exchange but really a lowest‑common‑denominator transaction: a cynical and often predatory game in which the object is to mine as much content from the subject as possible. Gossip: good. Anger: good. Feuds: good. Tears: good. Personal tragedy: good. Meanwhile the young athlete, often still caught up in the emotions of victory or defeat, is expected to answer the most intimate questions in the least intimate setting, in front of an array of strangers and backed by a piece of sponsored cardboard.

 

There’s an odd ritualistic quality to all this: the same characters sitting in the same seats, the same cliches, all these millions of wasted words, the unopened bottles of mineral water. Is there not a better way of doing this? These aren’t elected politicians. These are simply people who have been elevated to prominence by dint of their hand-eye coordination and superior cardiovascular fitness. Talk to us, please! Or else!

 

This dynamic is only exacerbated in women’s tennis, a highly visible enterprise that takes place not just in a largely white male space, but a white‑male‑with‑free‑food space. That sense of voracious, engorged entitlement often manifests itself in exceptionally creepy ways. Question: “I noticed you tweeted a picture. Are you prepared that if you go on a long run you may be held up as a sex symbol, given you’re very good looking?” (Genie Bouchard, Wimbledon 2013.) Question: “You’re a pin-up now, especially in England. Is that good? Do you enjoy that?” (A 17-year-old Maria Sharapova, Wimbledon 2004.)

 

And of course there are plenty of decent, curious journalists out there doing decent, curious things. In a way, this is what makes the chronic lack of self‑awareness so utterly self-defeating. Read the room. We are not the good guys here. We are no longer the power. And one of the world’s best athletes would literally rather quit a grand slam tournament than have to talk to the press. Rather than scrutinising what that says about her, it might be worth asking what that says about us.

[Josef Svejk]

So, Liew points out that sports press conferences are (1) "inane", (2) "meaningless", (3) "ritualistic", even (4) "creepy" (as evidenced by two questions from 8 and 14 years ago respectively, neither of which have been asked of Osaka).

 

What's any of this got to do with Osaka's (clay court) seasonal depression?

 

 

[AngryOfTuebrook]

Piers Morgan using Osaka to attack Meghan Markle. Even by the usual standard of racist, misogynistic bullies, he is one horrible piece of shit. Still, it pays well, so he'll keep at it.

[SasaS]

One thing I don't quite understand is, how can you deal with tremendous, relentless  pressure of competitive sport, and tennis is probably the worst here - you spend two hours playing against an opponent waiting to capitalize on your tiniest mistake, but saying a few platitudes at a press conference any PR intern can easily come up with in advance causes you waves of anxiety.  

Watching all those Klopp conferences regularly, they can be a proper pain in the arse but surely going through an actual game is much more stressful.  

[Bjornebye]

If someone suffers with poor mental health and depression it often takes something small to trigger it and if in Osakas case it's having the press call her shit on clay then so be it. I don't think questioning her issues is fair, she's still a young girl thrust into the lime-light at a young age. It's a lot for a young person to take and more should be done for her and others rather than dismiss it as petulance. 

 

Piers Morgan is a grade A cunt. 

[Bjornebye]

1 minute ago, SasaS said:

One thing I don't quite understand is, how can you deal with tremendous, relentless  pressure of competitive sport, and tennis is probably the worst here - you spend two hours playing against an opponent waiting to capitalize on your tiniest mistake, but saying a few platitudes at a press conference any PR intern can easily come up with in advance causes you waves of anxiety.  

Watching all those Klopp conferences regularly, they can be a proper pain in the arse but surely going through an actual game is much more stressful.  

Hmm maybe she's comfortable in that environment (On a court) because thats what she has done all her life and is trained to do. We can see how much the press can be cunts and if a few of them have got wind that she doesn't like certain questions then they will jump on it for a story. If you want to use Klopp then look at Des Kelly who did all he could to rattle Klopp after the Brighton game. 

[YorkshireRed]

3 minutes ago, SasaS said:

One thing I don't quite understand is, how can you deal with tremendous, relentless  pressure of competitive sport, and tennis is probably the worst here - you spend two hours playing against an opponent waiting to capitalize on your tiniest mistake, but saying a few platitudes at a press conference any PR intern can easily come up with in advance causes you waves of anxiety.  

Watching all those Klopp conferences regularly, they can be a proper pain in the arse but surely going through an actual game is much more stressful.  

The answer is probably far more complex than the one I’ll provide but I think, in part at least, she trains for the former because it’s her passion, her talent, her purpose etc. The latter just comes with the territory and triggers the anxiety she describes. 

[SasaS]

I get that speaking in public causes people anxiety, it is usually listed among major fears, but you can also media train people. We do live in a communication age and all of us face demands to communicate from time to time or all of the time. And of all depression cases in sport, I don't think I ever heard talking to the media mentioned as some isolated,  main cause. There must be more to this with her. 

[Gnasher]

She should take a few tips of this Scottish fella and twat one of them,

 

 

[Anubis]

2 minutes ago, SasaS said:

I get that speaking in public causes people anxiety, it is usually listed among major fears, but you can also media train people. We do live in a communication age and all of us face demands to communicate from time to time or all of the time. And of all depression cases in sport, I don't think I ever heard talking to the media mentioned as some isolated,  main cause. There must be more to this with her. 

She does describe herself as having social anxiety disorder and not socialising with other players, but rather sitting with her headphones on in the dressing room and not speaking to anyone. Out on the court, the only person she has to answer to is herself (well, the referee as well I suppose) but nobody else.

 

I can kind of understand where she is coming from. I'm an introvert. It doesn't stop me going to court and advocating in that setting, but I shy away from any publicity and swerve social gatherings because of how uncomfortable I am in those settings.  I don't consider it a mental illness, more a psychological issue that stems from being embarrassed about my weight, and a complete inability to make small talk.

[YorkshireRed]

4 minutes ago, SasaS said:

I get that speaking in public causes people anxiety, it is usually listed among major fears, but you can also media train people. We do live in a communication age and all of us face demands to communicate from time to time or all of the time. And of all depression cases in sport, I don't think I ever heard talking to the media mentioned as some isolated,  main cause. There must be more to this with her. 

There will be, but this is obviously one of her triggers. Maybe she’s built it up to be more in her mind than it is in reality, but that’s what happens. Once these fears set in, they’re extremely difficult to overcome. 
 

Of course you can obtain media training, but another difference here could be that she wants to train at Tennis. If she has had any media training, it’ll be because she feels she has to. That’s a very different mindset. 

[YorkshireRed]

1 minute ago, Anubis said:

I can kind of understand where she is coming from. I'm an introvert. It doesn't stop me going to court and advocating in that setting, but I shy away from any publicity and swerve social gatherings because of how uncomfortable I am in those settings.  I don't consider it a mental illness, more a psychological issue that stems from being embarrassed about my weight, and a complete inability to make small talk.

Being an introvert, as I’m sure you know, doesn’t mean you are unable to carry out your duties well. Or that you can’t enjoy that kind of setting. It’s more about what happens to your energy while you’re doing at and the self care needed to ensure you can do it in a sustainable way. 
 

Part of my business is to stand up and talk to people about stuff. I am also an introvert but over the years I’ve learned how to use this to my advantage, it’s never all about me and I think that plays well in an industry filled with extroverts. I do know that if I tried to do that kind of work every day though, there would be consequences to my energy levels and sense of well-being. 
 

We can become products of our environment but I don’t think we lose the core of who we really are. 
 

As for small talk, do what I do at the god awful networking events I sometimes have to attend. Hide. 

[Josef Svejk]

I think it's a load of bollocks, frankly. Not mental health issues, obviously. But this particular drama.

 

And I'm not anti-Osaka. On the contrary, a lot of what she did around BLM was really admirable, I thought. 

 

But she sort of stumbled into this mess. As her sister acknowledged. And has just kept digging. 

[AngryOfTuebrook]

11 hours ago, Josef Svejk said:

Her sister basically admitted she gets pissed off with journalists asking her about her struggles on clay.

 

That's a mental health issue, apparently. If you wish to cheapen the concept of a 'mental health issue'...

From the statement you posted, it absolutely is a mental health issue; no cheapening required.

[Josef Svejk]

4 minutes ago, AngryOfTuebrook said:

From the statement you posted, it absolutely is a mental health issue; no cheapening required.

Being (sensitive to being) asked about poor form on clay is not (in itself) a mental health issue. The sister effectively conceded the point and deleted her post.

 

Osaka doesn't like doing press during clay court season. She's contractually obliged to do it. Boo fucking hoo.

 

There is, incidentally, no evidence of her being asked difficult, never mind disrespectful, questions in this context.

[Rico1304]

If the organisers required the wheelchair players to walk up the stairs would they ban those that weren’t able to do it? 
 

She’s got mental health issues, she can’t do do the interviews. She should be able to miss them and just play tennis. 

[Bjornebye]

15 minutes ago, Rico1304 said:

If the organisers required the wheelchair players to walk up the stairs would they ban those that weren’t able to do it? 
 

She’s got mental health issues, she can’t do do the interviews. She should be able to miss them and just play tennis. 

Spot on mate. 

[Gnasher]

29 minutes ago, Bjornebye said:

Spot on mate. 

Then every player would be able to cite mental issues and be allowed to stop speaking at press conferences, id guess the sponsorship would thereafter drop dramatically.

 

Tennis journalists are hardly the most robust questioners in the sporting world. I wonder if in future she'll take questions after playing on a surface that suits her? 

[Gnasher]

To digress, top women tennis players are the most fortunate athletes in the world. They get paid the same as men, do not play as many sets and wouldn't win a set against any man in the top twenty.

[YorkshireRed]

Just now, Gnasher said:

Then every player would be able to cite mental issues and be allowed to stop speaking at press conferences, id guess the sponsorship would thereafter drop dramatically.

 

Tennis journalists are hardly the most robust questioners in the sporting world. I wonder if in future she'll take questions after playing on a surface that suits her? 

I think that’s part of the education that needs to happen though, not just in Tennis but society as a whole.

 

The default position needs to be that we believe people who are struggling. Part of making that happen is to ensure others know the impact of playing the mental health card to obtain whatever, when they know it’s not real. Doing this stops people from believing the genuine cases. 

[SasaS]

She seems to be doing quite well here, you can say that this is probably not her favourite activity, may be slightly socially awkward, but she interacts well with the journalists, comes across as eloquent, intelligent and quite in control.

 

[YorkshireRed]

2 minutes ago, SasaS said:

She seems to be doing quite well here, you can say that this is probably not her favourite activity, may be slightly socially awkward, but she interacts well with the journalists, comes across as eloquent, intelligent and quite in control.

 

 

 

 

But this is still not an indication of whether she has, or hasn’t got a mental health issue.