Piers Morgan drags Meghan Markle into 'disgusting' Naomi Osaka rant
Piers Morgan has accused Naomi Osaka of using the "Meghan and Harry playbook" in a controversial rant that has sparked backlash from tennis fans and the wider community.
The divisive British TV personality has been a fierce critic of Prince Harry and wife Meghan Markle recently, and dragged the royal couple into the Osaka saga this week.
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The Japanese tennis star withdrew from the French Open on Monday after announcing she would boycott her media commitments for mental health reasons.
Osaka revealed she's been battling bouts of depression since 2018 and said press conferences can trigger her anxiety.
Her withdrawal came after she'd previously criticised the media's treatment of athletes, which Morgan took offence to.
Osaka has since backflipped on that criticism, however Morgan isn't backing down.
Morgan tweeted that Osaka had “withdrawn because of the backlash to her attack on the tennis media for doing their job”, rather than mental health problems.
“I have a problem with high-profile people who exploit the media for huge financial gain and then attack the same media and use mental health as a weapon to silence criticism," he wrote.
“My critiques of people have nothing to do with gender or skin colour & everything to do with how annoying they are.”
Morgan also responded to critics who claimed his comments were racist in nature.
“Are high-profile women of colour exempt from criticism regardless of their conduct?" he tweeted.
"Sorry, I must have missed that woke memo! The people I’ve criticised most harshly in the past year are Donald Trump & Boris Johnson and last time I checked, they were identifying as white men.
“What journalist will dare criticise Naomi Osaka ever again? She’s got what she wanted - no more criticism, only praise.
“Meanwhile all her fellow tennis professionals will continue to fulfil their contractual obligations to the media & get criticism when deserved. This seem fair?"
Morgan's rant sparked widespread backlash, with some labelling his comments "disgusting" and a "disgrace".
U shouldn’t be attacking her. U should be attacking the people who fined her. She’s there to play tennis. It should of been respected. Maybe take a second to think about the person first
— Andrew 'Beef' Johnston (@BeefGolf) May 31, 2021
You are disgusting! Just a bully, what a horrible man. You should never be able to work in TV again but you will as that’s how things work now it’s not about talent it’s about being controversial! Great Journalism is very rare now. Shame on anyone who gives you a platform
— 😐 (@Millsforone) May 31, 2021
Have you interviewed her personally? Or is this just what you think. Why do you constantly destroy women
— Susan Abbott (@colinsusan1) May 31, 2021
Show some empathy, and class, for once Piers...
👇
"I would never trivialize mental health or use the term lightly. The truth is that I have suffered long bouts of depression since the US Open in 2018 and I have had a really hard time coping with that.”https://t.co/KPRCDNgxVd— Nicholas Bruno (@HiIamNicholas) May 31, 2021
Piers Morgan’s attitude towards mental health is a disgrace. I have reported his tweet about Osaka “playing the mental health card.” For years Morgan has had this awful attitude towards mental health. Makes me sick.
— Rich (@Rjohn2021) May 31, 2021
Sponsors and athletes throw arms around Naomi Osaka
After initially threatening to disqualify Osaka if she didn't reconsider her boycott, the Grand Slam board has now softened its stance and offered their support.
On Tuesday, the four grand slam tournaments released a joint statement commending Osaka for sharing her experience and promised to make things better for players.
"We wish to offer Naomi Osaka our support and assistance in any way possible as she takes time away from the court," the statement read.
"She is an exceptional athlete and we look forward to her return as soon as she deems appropriate."
While her original stance had earned the Japanese 23-year-old little backing from her fellow professionals, most saying that dealing with the media was part of the job, her withdrawal triggered a wave of support from around the world.
"The first thing to be considered is Ms. Osaka's health. I wish her the earliest possible recovery," Japan Tennis Association executive director Toshihisa Tsuchihashi said on Tuesday.
Japanese sponsor Nissin Foods wished Osaka a quick recovery while the world's biggest athletic shoe maker, Nike, lauded her for her courage in sharing her mental health experience.
with AAP
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