French tennis federation president Gilles Moretton said he was “sorry and sad” over Naomi Osaka’s withdrawal in an address to media, before leaving without taking questions.
That’s right, the same man who labelled Osaka’s decision to boycott press conferences a “phenomenal error” decided he was in no mood to open it up to the journalists in the room.
It was a moment that stunk of double standards as those in the tennis world couldn’t help but point out the irony.
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“FFT president Gilles Moretton made a statement in French about Naomi Osaka’s withdrawal, then repeated it in English, then left without taking questions,” The New York Times’ Ben Rothenberg tweeted.
“… And yes, the immense irony of the FFT President not taking questions from the media in the wake of this Osaka withdrawal is not lost on anyone.”
Sports reporter Daniel Kaplan added: “The head of the French tennis Federation declined to take questions after issuing a statement on Osaka. You can’t make this up.”
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The 23-year-old Japanese star was fined $15,000 and threatened with disqualification after she refused to carry out a mandatory news conference following her first round win.
“We are sorry and sad for Naomi Osaka. The outcome of Naomi withdrawing from Roland Garros is unfortunate,” said Moretton.
Osaka said she had decided against taking part in any media activity to safeguard her mental health.
“We wish her the best and the quickest possible recovery,” Moretton added as he read out a prepared statement.
“We look forward to having Naomi in our tournament next year.
“As all the Grand Slams, the WTA, the ATP, and the ITF, we remain very committed to all athletes’ wellbeing and to continually improving every aspect of players’ experience in our tournament, including with the media, like we have always strived to do.”
