"Elina Svitolina invoking how Naomi Osaka was penalized for missing pressers for mental health is odd" - Journalist David Kane

Elina Svitolina's decision to invoke Naomi Osaka when talking about Aryna Sabalenka skipping her press conferences at the 2023 French Open has not gone over well with tennis journalist David Kane.

The World No. 2, hailing from Belarus, had previously opted out of post-match press interactions following her last two matches at the French Open due to repeated inquiries about her nation's involvement in the war. In particular, Aryna Sabalenka had been targeted with questions concerning President Alexander Lukashenko, which, by her own admission, made her feel unsafe.

At her own post-match press conference, Svitolina was asked what she thought of her colleague's actions, to which she responded by saying that the World No. 2 should not have been allowed to skip them. Using Naomi Osaka's case as example, where the Japanese was fined for skipping pressers at 2021 Roland Garros, Svitolina made her point.

"I think it should be equal for everyone. Like, for example, why Naomi got fined last time and this time there is no fine for the player, which also skip the press conference. So this is like if there would be no fine for Naomi, maybe it would be different, but, you know, it should be equal for every situation," Svitolina said.

"Yeah, just I faced difficulties, I faced difficulty also with the question about Novak, about his statement about Kosovo. So, you know, I'm not escaping. I have my strong position, and I'm vocal about that. I'm not gonna try to win likeness of the people by betraying my strong belief and strongest position for my country," she added.

Tennis journalist David Kane, however, voiced his disagreement with Svitolina's remarks in a tweet. In his eyes, it was not a good look, as he felt Osaka's incident and the subsequent fallout was pivotal in improving conversations around mental health in tennis.

"Svitolina invoking how Naomi Osaka was fined/penalized for missing pressers out of concern for her mental health is an odd one given all the options players are now given as a result of what Osaka went through to make sure that debacle doesn't happen again," Kane wrote.

"To question whether Sabalenka abused the new protocol & should therefore be penalized like Osaka is a moot point: players are now given alternatives when they feel uncomfortable participating in press for any reason + it's thanks to Osaka speaking out that that is the case," he added.

Following Osaka's incident, the tennis governing bodies, including the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) and the International Tennis Federation (ITF), introduced measures to better accommodate players' mental health needs. As reported by the WTA, the new policies include more flexible press conference schedules and optional virtual conferences for players.

Elina Svitolina booed post-loss, avoids handshake with Aryna Sabalenka at French Open

Elina Svitolina of Ukraine refuses to shake hands with Aryna Sabalenka

After their French Open quarterfinal clash, Elina Svitolina also bypassed the traditional handshake with Aryna Sabalenka, focusing instead on greeting the umpire. This deviation from tradition, evident on Court Philippe-Chatrier, led to noticeable public disapproval.

Sabalenka, who secured a 6-4, 6-4 win over Svitolina on a busy Tuesday afternoon, found herself waiting at the net for a handshake that didn't come. This surprising turn of events led to an uproar from spectators, with Svitolina's departure from the court eliciting a combination of cheers and boos.

Svitolina's stance regarding handshakes with Russian or Belarusian players, clear for a while now, comes in the context of escalating geopolitical tensions involving Ukraine.