Swiatek's PR manager Paula Wolecka backs players being able to back out of press conferenes

Iga Swiatek PR manager Paula Wolecka thinks players should be allowed to skip press conferences when necessary.

Naomi Osaka created a huge controversy in tennis when she elected to skip press conferences at the 2021 French Open. She was warned against doing that because it was a breach of rules and would result in fines but Osaka did it anyway after round one.

One day later Osaka withdrew from the event not wanting to create a further scene but the damage was done. It was everywhere in the news and many players did not necessarily side with her saying that media is part of their job.

Swiatek has been a very big proponent of mental health talking about her own experiences with a psychologist and her PR seems to be equally aware of its importance of it. Wolecka said:

"In the case of an athlete, media activity is his duty. How time-consuming it is – it depends on the discipline. I'm not going to judge Naomi's individual situation because none of us know what brought her to this place.

She added:

"It is definitely worth remembering that even in the case of duties, you should take care of yourself and your limits. As with everything, you don't have to accept the world as it is if for some reason you don't agree with it. If an athlete feels bad after an extremely severe defeat, she has the right to ask for a reduction in the number of questions or shortening the conference."