Osaka was in the spotlight in May, when she withdrew from the tournament after refusing to speak to the media during the event, saying she gave up her decision on mental health grounds. She was fined $15,000 for not engaging in media duties at Roland Garros, hoping the money she earned would go to a mental health charity.
“Honestly, I feel like there are a lot of things I did wrong at the time, but I’m also the type of person who is very in the moment,” Osaka told reporters in New York on Friday ahead of the US Open. .
“Whatever I feel, I’ll say it or do it. I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing. I think there are a lot of things I’ve learned to do better. Of course I don’t feel the same situation will happen again “, she said.
“I’d say maybe think about it a bit more, as I didn’t know how important it was going to be,” Osaka added.
Her decision to withdraw from Roland Garros and take some time away from competitive tennis sparked discussions about athletes’ relationship with the media and whether or not press conferences are detrimental to their mental health.
Osaka said the press conference format is “outdated” and “in dire need of an update,” in an op-ed she wrote for a July issue of TIME magazine.
“I like the press; I don’t like all press conferences,” Osaka wrote. “However, in my opinion (and I want to say that this is just my opinion and not that of every tennis player on tour), the format of the press conference itself … is in dire need of an overhaul.”
“I believe we can make it better” […] Less subject vs. object; more peer-to-peer,” she added.
The world No. 3 also caught the eye earlier this month when she took a short break from a pre-tournament press conference at the Western & Southern Open after crying. After being knocked out of the tournament by Jil Teichmann, Osaka reflected that making the choice to go out and play “is an achievement in itself”.
Earlier this month, Osaka said she was more grateful for her tennis career after seeing the harrowing situations in Haiti and Afghanistan.
The two-time US Open champion will try to reclaim her title this year at Flushing Meadows, which opens Monday, August 30.
