Tennis ITF Roland Garros 2021

[Monzanator 4,479]

Yep, Mari Osaka has created shitstorm by night (European time zone). She has deleted her reddit account though already. More high-profile names like Kei Nishikori are distancing herself from Osaka's approach now. The high gamble play with "mental health" has been exposed as total fraud. Everyone and their mother knew Osaka's media silence was all about her below par clay results and avoiding ineviteable questions during RG.

 

I have a feeling this is a controlled distraction from the Osaka camp. Make Mari look like the bad sister and focus the backlash on her.

[heywoodu 14,952]

4 hours ago, Olympian1010 said:

 

Wait, the tournament threatened to default her? What kind of nonsense is that (from the tournament organisers, of course)?  

[heywoodu 14,952]

Huh, I thought Van de Zandschup's win was a real stunt, but apparently Hurkacz was only a semi-slight favourite to begin with already

 

[Monzanator 4,479]

35 minutes ago, heywoodu said:

Wait, the tournament threatened to default her? What kind of nonsense is that (from the tournament organisers, of course)?  

USTA or All-England Lawn & Tennis Club would be disappointed to hear you call them nonsense.

 

It all comes down to an old truth - no player is bigger than the game itself - even someone whom WTA hand-picked to be the Face of the Tour for the next decade. Naomi Osaka just got a hard reality check.

 

She created a PR disaster and I don't know if she came up with this idea herself or someone told her to make such a move. Let's see if she pulls the race card in last-ditch effort to salvage any pride? Either way, she's lot a ton of credibility and it can only get worse from here.

 

It's funny, since her "media silence" has created a massive response in the media anyway - way bigger than if she only mumbled five lines during a quick press conference. First week of GS is usually flatline for all top seeds regardless and all of these players usually say the same things over & over anyway.

[Federer91 2,728]

The backlash Osaka is getting makes me smile. Finally people are seeing the fakeness that oozes from her.

[heywoodu 14,952]

48 minutes ago, Federer91 said:

The backlash Osaka is getting makes me smile. Finally people are seeing the fakeness that oozes from her.

On the other hand, it's always sort of sad when athletes mention mental health (separate from this specific case, I mean in general) and are almost all the time ridiculed for it by people with the empathy of a brick  

[Vektor 3,326]

The fact that they are doing this alone and not a single tennis player is supporting them is the big issue. It just comes off as Osaka being entitled and weak, which is not something you want from the #1 female tennis player. Interestingly enough all the other professional athletes realized that the interviews are part of their job that they can't get rid off whenever they want. 

[Monzanator 4,479]

The shitshow is complete. Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from Roland Garros

 

I wonder if she tries to play the "ignore journalists" card at Wimbledon? Grass isn't exactly a good surface for her either and AELTC won't tolerate her antics given the press release yesterday.

 

The drama tour keeps rolling!

 

PS. Paula Badosa can easily reach the QF now - that's if she doesn't succumb to pressure. She is easily the best clay court player in Osaka's section of the draw.

[thepharoah 2,405]

I started to consider her a drama queen, I think organizers has the right to force their rules over participants, no-one above these policies 

[Federer91 2,728]

Things looking even better for hot-shot favorite Paula Badosa Gibert