After the abrupt departure of Naomi Osaka at the French Open, many fellow athletes have spoken out regarding the press versus athlete debate. Venus Williams‘ post-game response has undoubtedly led the pack in responses. The 40-year-old was at a press conference coming off a first-round loss to Ekaterina Alexandrova at Roland Garros and was asked how she coped with speaking to the media throughout her career. “For me personally, how I cope, how I deal with it, is that I know every single person asking me a question can’t play as well as I can and never will,” Williams says. “So no matter what you say, or what you write, you’ll never light a candle to me. That’s how I deal with it. But each person deals with it differently.”
Venus Williams talking about media scrutiny is the energy I need to start bringing into every facet of my life
pic.twitter.com/iqGNHuAzMi— Jarett Wieselman (@JarettSays) June 1, 2021
The notable response Venus gave came in after a question about Osaka. All four Grand Slams released a new joint statement offering Naomi Osaka their support after she withdrew from the 2021 French Open following her press boycott. Osaka revealed she has suffered anxiety and “bouts of depression” since bursting onto the tennis scene with her win at the 2018 US Open over Serena Williams. A large part of it has come as a result of dealing with scrutiny from the press. Many fellow pros have backed Osaka – including Venus’ sister, Serena. The debate on how athletes are allowed to respond — or not respond — to the press is still the main discussion, but fans are loving the stance Venus made in her interview.
Venus Williams said your insults can’t reach me because you’re not at my level😂🔥pic.twitter.com/z6vGdIAJB5
— TV Fanatic👑⚜️ (@TvKhaleesi) June 1, 2021
Coco Gauff and Williams recently teamed up following an injury to Gauff’s usual doubles partner, Caty McNally, in singles qualifying last week. According to Gauff, her father, Corey, who is also her coach, reached out to Williams’ team shortly before the entry deadline. “I wasn’t expecting a yes, to be honest,” Gauff says. “It was worth the ask. I’m happy she said yes.” Williams said she was excited about the pairing during a news conference on Tuesday. “She’s so extremely talented that I’ll definitely be expecting her to do all the work,” Williams says of Gauff. Williams has won 14 major doubles titles — including two at the French Open — all with her sister Serena Williams. The siblings most recently won together at Wimbledon in 2016. Gauff has reached the doubles quarterfinals twice at Grand Slams during her career, including at this year’s Australian Open.
