Naomi Osaka in tears at Cincinnati Masters press conference

Tennis star Naomi Osaka was in tears as she addressed a press conference at the Cincinnati Masters tournament and the video conference had to be cut off for a while to allow Osaka to recover. Osaka was responding to a question asked by one of the reporters when she became emotional. However, after the interruption, the Japanese player returned to answer the question. The 23-year-old had withdrawn from Roland Garros after refusing to attend press conferences to protect her mental health. During the press conference at the Cincinnati Masters, she said she was “proud” of the position she has taken in Paris.

“It was something that had to be done,” Osaka said.

The four-time Grand Slam champion also withdrew from Wimbledon after leaving Roland Garros, but returned to compete in the Tokyo Olympics where she lost in the third round.

“It was like something I had to do for myself. I felt like I was locking myself in my house for a few weeks and was a little embarrassed to go out. going to the Olympics and having other athletes come up to me and tell me that they were really happy that I did what I did, ”said Osaka as he retired from Roland Garros.

Promoted

At Roland Garros, Osaka was fined for not speaking to the media after her first round match and organizers told her she was at risk of being kicked out of the tournament for refusing to participate in media duties .

However, Osaka withdrew from the tournament the next day saying she needed to protect her sanity.