Aryna Sabalenka, Noami Osaka and the double standards at French Open
Aryna Sabalenka has gotten herself embroiled in controversy at the 2023 French Open due to her insistence on being absent from press conferences at the tournament.
Although the Belarusian has successfully reached the second week of this season's clay-court Grand Slam, she has participated in only two open press conferences during the tournament.
The exemption granted to her to do so has raised concerns among fans on social media, owing to the fines and warnings imposed on Naomi Osaka for wanting to do the same at Roland Garros in 2021.
Here's a look at the contrast in treatment meted out to Sabalenka and Osaka at the French Open and why it is not a good look for the event:
What made Aryna Sabalenka opt out of press conferences at the French Open?
After Sabalenka wrapped up her second-round match against Iryna Shymanovich, a Ukrainian journalist put the World No. 2 in an uncomfortable position when he asked her to clarify her support for Belarus president Alexander Lukashenko.
Sabalenka continued with her press conference after moving past the question, refusing to address it directly. Later, however, Roland Garros notified that Sabalenka shall not proceed to the press conference in Paris after her third-round win. The same came to pass after her fourth-round encounter as well.
Aryna Sabalenka cited mental health and well-being as her reason for not attending a full-scale press conference.
"For many months now I have answered these questions at tournaments and been very clear in my feelings and my thoughts. These questions do not bother me after my matches. I know that I have to provide answers to the media on things not related to my tennis or my matches, but on Wednesday I did not feel safe in press conference."
"I should be able to feel safe when I do interviews with the journalists after my matches. For my own mental health and well-being, I have decided to take myself out of this situation today, and the tournament has supported me in this decision," spoke Aryna Sabalenka.
Furthermore, Roland Garros authorities also mentioned that the Belarusian will be only obligated to speak with a handful of journalists, and subsequently, the transcript would be later circulated within the media.
Press announcement from #RolandGarros: "Aryna Sabalenka will not be doing a general press conference tonight. An interview with a WTA editorial reporter will be conducted shortly and transcribed and distributed."
Following the events, French Open organizers are now facing numerous inquiries surrounding the lenient treatment of Aryna Sabalenka which, notably, wasn't the case with Naomi Osaka.
Noami Osaka was slapped with a $15,000 fine at the 2021 French Open for refusing to attend press conferences
Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka has been quite vocal about her mental health issues, which while ironically helping Aryna Sabalenka, resulted in Osaka herself being surrounded by unfortunate incidents at the 2021 French Open.
At the event, the former World No. 1 made a statement solidifying her stance on forgoing all press conferences in Paris, declaring that she wanted to safeguard her own mental heatlh. This action, however, was not met kindly by the powers that be at the time.
After registering her first-round win over Patricia Maria Tig, Osaka skipped her post-match press conference. This resulted in her earning a hefty $15,000 fine from the Roland Garros authorities.
Two years ago Naomi Osaka was fined $15.000, threatened to be defaulted from Roland-Garros and face harsher penalties if she would not fulfill her media obligations.
Later on, she was formally served with a notice highlighting her risk of future fines and default from the tournament altogether.
"We have advised Naomi Osaka that should she continue to ignore her media obligations during the tournament, she would be exposing herself to possible further Code of Conduct infringement consequences."
"As might be expected, repeat violations attract tougher sanctions including default from the tournament (Code of Conduct article III T.) and the trigger of a major offense investigation that could lead to more substantial fines and future Grand Slam suspensions (Code of Conduct article IV A.3.)," read the official statement.
All the other three Grand Slams soon released statements siding with the French Open, ostracizing the four-time Grand Slam champion. These actions further triggered a debate on the lack of empathy for those struggling with mental health issues, especially in the high-octane world of professional sports.
Former American tennis superstar Serena Williams was one of the most prominent figures who joined the long list of Osaka's supporters. The 23-time Grand Slam champion came to her rescue and acknowledged the issues faced by the Japanese.
“I wish I could give her a hug because I know what it’s like. I've been in these positions. Not everyone's the same. Everyone is different and everyone handles things differently. You just have to let her handle it the way she wants to and the best way she thinks she can," said Serena Williams.
After the hue and cry surrounding these issues wore off, Osaka decided to press pause on her professional WTA career in hopes of taking a long mental health break. This came after she withdrew from the tournament prior to her second-round match, once again prioritizing her mental health.
Considering all this, it is not easy to see the situation surrounding Aryna Sabalenka now as anything but a double standard. Playing the leniency card for Aryna Sabalenka while exercising stringent and a by-the-book approach for Naomi Osaka under very similar circumstances doesn't seem justified by any means.
It will be interesting to see whether the French Open authorities allow Sabalenka to skip the press conference once again after the quarterfinals, where she is scheduled to lock horns with Ukriane's Elina Svitolina in a blockbuster encounter.