Naomi Osaka has spoken out about her feelings toward journalists and addressed her press conference controversy at the 2021 French Open.

In 2021, former world No. 1 Osaka was one of the most talked-about tennis players in the sport. The Japanese player had four Grand Slams to her name by the time she reached that year's French Open, having won the 2020 US Open and the 2021 Australian Open in the months leading up to it.

However, Osaka caused some controversy at the Roland Garros, as she announced that she would not be attending any press conferences whilst at the slam for mental health reasons. As a consequence, the tournament fined her $15,000 before she withdrew ahead of her second-round match against Ana Bogdan.

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Osaka insists she likes talking to journalists

Speaking to Mountaintop Conversations recently, Osaka opened up about how she feels about talking to journalists, and insisted that she likes interacting with them for the most part. She also mentioned her strategies for combatting worry when being interviewed, saying she uses her upbringing to help her,

"I kind of have this thing in my head that I say a lot. I always tell myself, 'You're a Haitian, you're not supposed to have any fear.' And it's because my dad is always shouting '1804', which is the Haitian Revolution, so I say that to myself a lot.

Growing up in this interview world, I have a very open character so I’m very… Sometimes I say stuff that I shouldn’t say in the press room, and it often gets me into trouble," she said.

"But it’s because I like journalists, I don’t think they know this but I like talking to them and I like clearing their questions and for me, it’s cool that someone cares enough about me to ask me questions like that."

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Speaks out about French Open

The 25-year-old also addressed her reasons for refusing to take part in press conferences at the Roland Garros two years ago, saying that despite the fact that she likes journalists, it began to become overwhelming,

"as I started started becoming more known, there have been people that I feel their energy is to exploit. So I felt myself becoming more closed-off and I felt my character changing and I didn't really like that.

"So at this point when I was thinking 'I need to take a break, but I can't take a break from it because then I'll get fined'. But then I thought I'd rather take the fine than go through that with my energy," she added.

Osaka has been on maternity leave this year, and she welcomed her daughter with rapper Cordae in July. She is planning to return to tennis for the 2024 Australian swing.

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