Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif backed tennis star Naomi Osaka’s decision of opting to avoid facing media at the French Open owing to mental health reasons. He said it should be allowed for players to decide against facing the media whenever they are not feeling well.
Japanese tennis sensation Naomi Osaka surprised everyone when she decided not to face a press conference in the ongoing French Open. The association of Grand Slam urged her to face the media and handed her a fine of $15,000 and warned her of being expelled from the tournament.
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However, Osaka didn’t face the media and eventually withdrew her name from the tournament owing to the mental health issue. On Twitter, she mentioned that she never wanted to be a distraction and that she had been battling ‘long bouts of depression since the 2018 US Open. Osaka revealed she faces huge waves of anxiety before she speaks to the world’s media.
Mohammad Kaif backed her decision and urged people to take consideration of player’s mental health.
“It’s high time we acknowledge the issue of mental health in sports. More so in individual sports. In cricket, a coach or a senior player can be a backup option for a captain but not in tennis. Let’s be sensitive, players in their weak moments should be allowed to avoid media,” Kaif wrote on Twitter.
See his tweet;
It's high time we acknowledge the issue of mental health in sports. More so in individual sports. In cricket, a coach or a senior player can be a back up option for a captain but not in tennis. Let's be sensitive, players in their weak moments should be allowed to avoid media.
— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) June 1, 2021
India Women’s star cricketer Mithali Raj also raised her voice in Osaka’s favour and shed lights upon the issue of players avoiding media engagement.
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“Well, I think it is tough to be in quarantine for any athlete. But I think getting into a tournament, we do not feel that. Personally, I have not felt that I should forgo a press conference because women’s cricket right now where it stands, it needs media support and it is important for players also to sort of try and help in the growth of the sport. So we need to try to promote the sport,” Mithal Raj said during a media interaction before leaving for England.
