Tennis’s Grand Slam organizers tried to call Naomi Osaka’s bluff, and it probably would have worked if she were actually bluffing. She was not. Osaka chose to withdraw from the French Open rather than submit to postmatch press conferences—a tremendous sacrifice for the No. 2 player in the world.
You might wonder if press conferences are really that taxing for her mental health, but it’s not our question to ask. Osaka knows herself better than we do. If she says this is that important to her, then it is. Trying to intimidate somebody who says they have mental health challenges is not just off-putting; it can be dangerous.