'More friendly' - Amelie Mauresmo on Roland-Garros player support changes after Naomi Osaka withdrawal last year
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Updated 16/05/2022 at 07:20 GMT
Naomi Osaka will return to the French Open 12 months on from her withdrawal after being fined for failing to attend post-match press conferences. Tournament director Amelie Mauresmo says social media has had a negative impact on the mental health of current players, but added procedural changes have been put in place to ensure the experience with the media is better for the players.
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Amelie Mauresmo has told Eurosport that changes have been made to the post-match experience in light of the issues Naomi Osaka had at the French Open 12 months ago.
Four-time major winner Osaka caused a stir on the eve of Roland Garros last year when she said she would not take part in media assignments at the second Grand Slam of the year.
She was fined following her failure to attend a press conference after winning in the first round. One day later, Osaka announced her withdrawal from the event - citing mental health issues.
Osaka subsequently took a break from the game, only returning for the Olympic Games in her native Japan.
And Mauresmo says she battled with mental health during her career, but feels the advent of social media has made things more difficult for the current crop of players.
“It's something that I personally felt when I was playing,” Mauresmo told Eurosport. “Indeed, I think that it was not as bad as now, especially because there were no social media, or much less at the time.
“So I think that today, this issue is even more present. And indeed, I could see players sometimes very touched by what happens on the outside. And so the idea is to create this kind of cocoon, a bubble. The players are doing it more and more through their teams, quite simply. But I think it's up to us to continue to do that.”
The 24-year-old Osaka has returned to competitive tennis in 2022, reaching the final of the Miami Open, and she is set to head back to Roland-Garros later this month.
Osaka is sure to be the subject of major media scrutiny but, after putting the issue of mental health in sport in the spotlight, changes have been made to the press process to ease the burden on players and ensure there is “common sense at certain moments".
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Asked about the learnings from 12 months ago, French Open tournament director Mauresmo said: “We also worked on that. I don't talk about it as much because, again, it's less visible.
“First of all, we will now have a mixed zone for the players who do not raise big attendance in the press room. Sometimes, there are two or three people, it's a bit heavy, it's a bit empty, etc. So to make something more dynamic, more friendly, almost in a way for the players and a bit faster. As soon as it's finished, it doesn't drag on.
“And this year we also have moderators in the press room in order for players not to feel uncomfortable if there are always the same questions, to say ‘well I think that he or she has answered the question, we'll move on to the next topic etc.’ So that's a kind of assistance.”
Mauresmo stressed it was not a move to silence the press, but to ensure a balance is struck.
“It's not to censor the press, but it's just to show a little common sense at certain moments to be able to move on,” two-time Grand Slam winner Mauresmo said. “The post match for players will be made more fluid.”
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