Naomi Osaka / Image: imago images / ZUMA Wire
Tennis star Naomi Osaka burst into tears at a press conference in Cincinnati. The media round at the WTA tournament in the US state of Ohio had to be briefly interrupted on Monday (local time), after the break, the Japanese apologized for it. The reason was apparently a reporter's question about Osaka's strained relationship with the media and the balance between sport and private life.
“You don't particularly love dealing with the media,” the reporter had introduced his question. At first, the world number two reacted calmly and with a detailed answer. When a question about the earthquake disaster in Haiti with thousands of victims followed, Osaka burst into tears. Your father is from Haiti.
The moderator stopped the press conference, Osaka wiped the tears from her face and came back to the podium shortly afterwards. “Sorry I went out,” she said. The press conference continued with the same question.
The confirmed death toll in the Haiti earthquake has risen to 1,419. Around 6,900 people were injured, the Caribbean state's civil protection agency announced on Monday. Osaka had announced that it would donate its prize money to those affected in Haiti. The WTA tournament is endowed with a total prize money of more than 1.8 million dollars.
The 23-year-old had skipped tournaments for almost two months before the Olympic Games in Tokyo. Initially, the Australian Open winner at the French Open in Paris decided not to attend any media appointments. After her victory in the first round in Paris, she withdrew from the tournament and made it public that she was suffering from periods of depression. At the Summer Games, Osaka was surprisingly eliminated in the round of 16.
