Nick Pugliese, 64, Gannett Florida state sports editor; sports editor, Palm Beach Post, West Palm Beach, Fla.

In the past, Pugliese has run multimedia sports departments in Tampa, Fla. and Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and was a longtime NFL and college football beat writer.

 When Naomi Osaka refused to speak to the press at the French Open, the knee-jerk reaction from everyone was, “How dare she?” Sports columnists rushed to crank out pieces ripping Osaka for shirking her responsibility as a professional tennis player. Later, she was fined, and many in the press applauded.

I recall looking for a column to run and there were plenty to choose from, all blasting the young tennis star and, for all intents and purposes, rightfully so. I’ve always thought athletes should talk to the press simply because we are the conduit between them and the fans. That communication has changed in the era of social media, and many now have access to their favorite athletes via Twitter, Instagram, and even TikTok.

Still, there remains a need to ask athletes tough questions and try to get their hopefully honest answers, especially after a game or match when everyone wants to know what happened.

Fortunately for us, we waited a few days to pull that Osaka column and that’s when the news broke about her mental health problems. 

It was revealed that Osaka has dealt with these issues for awhile and that changed the dialogue. Osaka lives in Boca Raton, and soon after she burst onto the world stage several years ago, The Palm Beach Post had an exclusive interview where she acknowledged she was shy and not comfortable being in the spotlight. Apparently, that was merely the tip of the anxiety iceberg.

As more athletes talk openly about these issues, the press should be applauding their honesty rather than attacking. The press always will seek quotes from athletes after events, even demand quotes when things are normal. However, we also must be cognizant of other issues and act fairly.

In reflecting on the fine levied by the French Open, the organization should have used the opportunity to educate tennis fans that things that happen in the public eye may not always be what they seem.