>>> THIS BREAKING NEWS TO SHARE.
TENNIS SUPERSTAR NAOMI OSAKA
FIND $15,000 AT THE FRENCH OPEN
TODAY.
AND THE REASON?
SHE REFUSED TO SPEAK WITH REPORT
IRS TODAY FOLLOWING HER FIRST
ROUND WIN.
OSAKA WAS THREATENED BY ALL FOUR
GRAND SLAM TOURNAMENTS WITH STIFFER PENALTIES, INCLUDING
STIFFER PENALTIES, INCLUDING
BEING DEFAULTED IF SHE AVOIDS
CONTINUING TO 3450E9 WITH THEE I
MEDIA.
DAVE, PUT THIS INTO PERSPECTIVE
HERE.
HOW DID IT GET TO THIS POINT?
BECAUSE OSAKA GAVE A HEADS UP,
SHE TOLD BEFORE THE TOURNAMENT,
EVERYONE, SHE WASNT GOING TO
TALK TO REPORTERS.
WHY NOT?
>> YEAH.
NAOMI OSAKA LEVELED A VERY LONG
MISSIVE THAT SHE SENT OUT TO THE
PRESS AND MADE PUBLIC THAT SHE
WAS DEALING WITHMENTAL HEALTH
CONCERNS, AND THAT THE PRESS, AT
THESE TOURNAMENTS, AND THIS IS
NOT THE FIRST TIME THIS HAS BEEN
SAID, CERTAINLY BY WOMEN
ATHLETES IN PARTICULAR, THAT
THERE IS A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF
PRESSURE THATS PUT ON THESE
PLAYERS BY THE MEDIA THEMSELVES.
PARTICULARLY IN FRANCE.
AND SO NAOMI OSAKA WAS SAYING,
IM NOT GOING TO DO MEDIA.
SHES CERTAINLY NOT THE FIRST
PRO ATHLETE TO DO THIS.
IN THE NBA, KYRIE IRVING MADE A
LOT OF NOISE.
BUT THE RESPONSE TO HIM, NOT
SPEAKING TO THE MEDIA, WAS A
REGULAR SET OF FINES.
HE WASNT THREATENED WITH NOT
BEING ABLE TO PLAY OR BEING SHUT
OUT OF THE TOURNAMENTS ALL
TOGETHER.
AND HE CERTAINLY DIDNT HAVE TO
DEAL WITH MOCKING TWEETS FROM
THE OFFICIAL ACCOUNT OF THE
FRENCH OPEN, FOR GOODNESS SAKE,
AND THIS LETTER THAT YOU
MENTIONED FROM THE FOUR MAJOR
TOURNAMENTS.
ITS BRUTAL.
ITS LIKE, YOURE NOT BIGGER
THAN TENNIS, WE CAN TAKE YOU OR
LEAVE YOU.
SO NO SYMPATHY, NO EMPATHY, NO
EFFORT TO FIND COMMON GROUND.
I FIND IT SHOCKING.
>> ME, TOO.
WITH REGARD TO DEFAULTING HER,
DO YOU THINK THEY WOULD DO THAT?
THE FABS LOVENS LOVE HER.
SHES A FAN DRAW.
COME ON.
>> THIS IS SO CRAZY.
IF YOU HAD ASKED ME THIS
QUESTION TWO HOURS AGO, I WOULD
SAY OF COURSE THEY COULDNT
DEFAULT NAOMI OSAKA.
HE
SHES ARGUABLY THE BIGGEST NAME
IN TENNIS.
HAVING READ THE LETTER JUST
BEFORE COMING ON THE AIR, ITS
SO DISMISSIVE AND ARROGANT OF
THE VERY REAL CONCERNS THAT
SHES PUTTING FORWARD.
SHES NOT SAYING I DONT WANT TO
TALK TO THE MEDIA, IM ONLY
GOING TO PRODUCE MY ONLY MEDIA
AND RELEASE IT ON MY TWITTER
PAGE.
SHES TALKING ABOUT VERY REAL
MENTAL HEALTH CONCERNS, AND HER
ABILITY TO PLAY THE BEST
POSSIBLE TENNIS.
I THINK THERES ALL SORTS OF
GROUND IN HER STATEMENT, WHERE
SHES TRYING TO FIND SOME MIDDLE
GROUND TO SAY I WANT TO BE THERE
FOR THE FANS.
I ALSO NEED TO WORRY ABOUT
MYSELF, PARTICULARLY IN THE
CONTEXT OF THIS TOURNAMENT.
AND THEIR RESPONSE IS TO SAY
YEAH, YOU CAN GO HOME OR NOT, WE
DONT CARE.
>> LOOK, DAVE, IM SURE YOUVE
BEEN IF A POST MATCH OR
POSTGAME, AND A LOT OF TIMES
THEIR FOCUS IS, WHY DID YOU
LOSE?
WHERE DID YOU KNOW THAT YOU HAD
LOST THE TOURNAMENT OR LOST THIS
MATCH?
HOW DO YOU COME BACK FROM THIS?
ITS BRUTAL.
THAT SAID, THERE WILL BE PEOPLE
WHO WATCH THIS AND SAY OKAY, SHE
MIGHT MAKE A MILLION DOLLARS BY
PLAY THING TOURNAMENT.
SO WHAT WE WANT TO KNOW IS THE
PSYCHE OF A PROFESSIONAL
ATHLETE.
WE WANT TO HEAR ABOUT THIS.
HOW IS THAT GOING TO PLAY OUT,
DO YOU THINK?
>> IVE ALSO HEARD FROM SEVERAL
MEMBERS OF THE MEDIA, OF THE
TENNIS MEDIA, WHO PUT FORWARD
THIS POINT OF SAYING WHEN YOU GO
TO A PLACE LIKE FRANCE, ITS
INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT AMONG LOCAL
MEDIA, SMALLER OUTFITS.
BUT REMEMBER, TENNIS IS HUGE IN
EASTERN EUROPE WHERE THEY SEND
THE ONE NEWSPAPER TO GET THE
QUOTE FROM NAOMI OSAKA.
SO THIS IS IMPORTANT TO
SPREADING IS GOSPEL OF TENNIS TO
SMALL TOWNS ACROSS THE WORLD,
REALLY.
SO I GET WHY THEY SEE IT AS THAT
IMPORTANT.
BUT I ALSO THINK NAOMI OSAKA
WOULD BE WILLING TO WORK WITH
THESE PUBLICATIONS AND FIGURE
OUT HOW TO SPEAK ABOUT THE POST
MATCH.
SHE JUST DOESNT WANT TO BE PART
OF THE SCRUM.
AND RATHER THAN -- IM NOT
SAYING THEY HAVE TO TOTALLY
HONOR THAT.
BUT RATHER THAN WORKING WITH HER
TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO BE AT HER
BEST FOR THE TOURNAMENT, IM
MUCH MORE INTERESTED IN THE
TENNIS THAT BE HOW SHE FEELS
AFTERWARDS.
ITS REALLY STUNNING.
ITS ALMOST LIKE THEY WANT --
THIS IS WHAT IT FELT LIKE TO ME
READ THING LETTER, THAT THEYRE
PUTTING A LINE IN THE SAND
SAYING NOT ONLY WILL WE ACCEPT
THIS FROM NAOMI OSAKA, BUT WE
WONT ACCEPT IT FROM ANYBODY.
>> DAVE, GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN.
IM GLAD YOU SCRAMBLED HERE ON A