Naomi Osaka: Serena Williams wants to give world No. 2 a hug; others label her a ‘princess’

Serena Williams says she’d like to give Naomi Osaka a hug after the world No.2 withdrew from the French Open on Monday.

Osaka’s departure from the tournament follows her decision not to participate in any media conferences at Roland Garros, initially citing mental health reasons.

She has since revealed that she “suffered long bouts of depression” after winning her first grand slam title in 2018.

Naomi Osaka serves in her first round match against Patricia Maria Tig of Romania during day one of the 2021 French Open at Roland Garros on May 30, 2021.

‘I feel for Naomi’

Fellow sports stars including Usain Bolt, Kyrie Irving and Venus Williams also showed their support for Osaka by commenting on her Instagram post, with the latter writing, “So proud of you. Take care of yourself and see you back winning soon!”

During her post-match media conference 23-time grand slam champion Serena Williams said: “The only thing I feel is that I feel for Naomi. I feel like I wish I could give her a hug because I know what it’s like. Like I said, I’ve been in those positions.”

However, other tennis stars have said media duties are part and parcel of the job.

“Press and players and the tournaments comes hand-in-hand,” two-time grand slam champion Victoria Azarenka said. “I think it’s very important in developing our sport, in promoting our sport.”

She added that there were moments when the media needed to be more empathetic.

World No. 5 Sofia Kenin acknowledged the pressures of being a young athlete in the spotlight, but said, “This is what you signed up for.”

“This is sport. There’s expectations from the outside, sponsors and everyone. You just have to somehow manage it,” Kenin added.

Osaka wears a protective face mask with the name Ahmaud Arbery stenciled on it after winning her women's singles third round match against Marta Kostyuk of the Ukraine on day five of the 2020 US Open.

An outdated practice?

Osaka’s withdrawal has sparked questions about the relationship athletes have with the media, and whether or not press conferences operate at the expense of their mental health.

“I am not a natural public speaker and get huge waves of anxiety before I speak to the world’s media,” Osaka said in her statement online.

In the Guardian, Jonathan Liew described media conferences as “no longer a meaningful exchange” but rather “a cynical and often predatory game,” where athletes are subjected to “intimate questions in the least intimate setting.”

Other journalists took a less sympathetic stance.

“The immaturity, preciousness and hypocrisy of Naomi Osaka leaves me speechless,” wrote Will Swanton in the Australian.

“Having told everyone to speak out against the injustices of this world, she’s decided to clam up, refusing to do press conferences at the French Open … while being happy enough to pocket the millions of dollars in prize money being offered by the very tournament and government body she’s flipping the bird to.”

Osaka celebrates after beating Tig during their women's singles first round match in the French Open.

Traditional press in the age of social media

However, some have pointed out the way Black women are scrutinized when revealing their mental health difficulties to the media, drawing parallels between Meghan Markle’s treatment by the British tabloids.

Osaka’s withdrawal also poses a wider debate of whether or not athletes still need traditional media in the age of social media.

Before each match at the US Open 2020, Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka wore a face covering displaying the name of a different Black victim of alleged police or racist violence in the US -- from Breonna Taylor in her first round-match against Misaki Doi to Tamir Rice in the final against Azarenka. Here Osaka displays the name Ahmaud Arbery, an unarmed 25-year-old Black man, shot while jogging in Georgia.

Wyomia Tyus -- the first sprinter to retain the Olympic 100m title -- wore black shorts throughout the 1968 Olympics in Mexico to show support for Tommie Smith, John Carlos, and the Olympic Project for Human Rights.

In July 2016 -- a month before Colin Kaepernick first drew attention by not standing for the US national anthem -- members of the reigning WNBA champion the Minnesota Lynx protested before a game against the Dallas Wings wearing T-shirts with the words on the front: "Change starts with us. Justice & accountability." On the back were the names Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, two Black men killed by police that month, and the phrase "Black Lives Matter." Lindsay Whalen, Maya Moore, Rebekkah Brunson, and Seimone Augustus are pictured in this photo.

Megan Rapinoe and the World Cup winning US Women's National Team filed a lawsuit against the US Soccer Federation in March 2019, alleging unequal pay for equal work with the men's soccer team. Here Rapinoe celebrates scoring during the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup Final.

Serena Williams -- the 23-time grand slam winning tennis player -- used her platform to bring attention to pay equity and Black maternal death rates, in examples of the nuanced versions of activism from women in sport. Williams is pictured here at the 2019 US Open.

Wilma Rudolph, the sprinter who became an international star as the first American woman to win three gold medals in a single Olympics -- the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay at the 1960 Rome Games -- returned to the US a champion and used her new found platform to advocate for the integration of pools and parks in in her hometown of Clarksville, Tennessee. Rudolph is pictured crossing the finish line in a women's sprint event at the 1960 Rome Olympics.

WNBA team the Connecticut Sun kneel during the National Anthem before the game against the Atlanta Dream in August 2020. The WNBA dedicated the season to Breonna Taylor and the Say Her Name movement -- which raises awareness for Black female victims of police violence. They also collectively backed Raphael Warnock in the Georgia senatorial elections against Republican and WNBA team -- the Atlanta Dream -- owner Kelly Loffler.

The females athletes challenging injustice

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Press conferences and other long-established media environments are no longer the only way for athletes to get their voice out there, with online platforms creating an avenue for players to communicate directly with fans, and control their own narrative.