About this episode
Since our last episode, the conversation around Naomi Osaka's withdrawal from press conferences grew so loud that it led to an actual withdrawal: her decision to pull out of Roland Garros completely to preserve her mental well being. The past few days have presented so many important questions -- especially around mental health, mental strength and the "bootstraps" mentality, race, gender, and the role of the press in tennis -- that we felt it warranted another stand-alone episode. Let's leave the mess in WhatsApp and instead have a real conversation about what we can do better and why tennis' first reaction was punitive rather than empathetic. 0:30 Catching up on the events of the past few days: a media frenzy that culminated in Naomi's withdrawal from Roland Garros 12:05 Naomi's statement and the French Federation's response - how did we get here, and how can we do better? 17:30 "Press conferences are part of the job description" - well, since you mentioned tennis being a workplace ... 24:30 Should the Player's Councils and the PTPA be vocal about this? 28:45 Many reporters took Naomi's initial statement as a personal or professional attack -- where is the reflexivity? 38:40 The demand for a disclosure from Naomi - the act of "confession" 42:30 What has this situation taught us about how society and sport view mental health awareness? 50:30 The unavoidable question of race and gender, and how Black athletes are expected to entertain without complaint