Nico Rosberg becomes rare athlete to back Naomi Osaka's 'No Media' stance and here's why

World No.2 Naomi Osaka's decision to skip press conferences has been the topic of discussion ever since last week when the Japanese ace announced she will do so to protect her mental health. While some like Rafael Nadal were against her doing so, F1's Nico Rosberg has become a rare athlete to back her controversial stance. Here are the details of what Rosberg had to say about the Naomi Osaka media ban and a preview of Osaka's French Open tournament so far.

Nico Rosberg's views about Naomi Osaka media ban

Retired F1 world champion Nico Rosberg, who is no stranger to suffering mental health issues, came out in support of Naomi Osaka's decision to boycott press conferences. The German is well known for his considerable use of sports psychology as he battled and beat Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton to the title in a tense 2016 season. The 2016 F1 champion said that most of the stress he faced was a result of the media repeatedly questioning his abilities and mental strength.

Rosberg said, "To get these repetitions from you guys every single time, and every single day after driving. You make a mistake out there in free practice and...'Are you feeling the pressure Nico? Is that why you made that mistake?' That's hard. So I can definitely understand Naomi. If she has acute mental health challenges than that's totally respectable."

While Rosberg acknowledged that Osaka's opponents and other colleagues such as Rafael Nadal may deem her move to skip press conferences as unfair, he was quick to point out the importance of prioritizing mental health issues. "It's unfair, but at the same time if it's really about acute mental health problems then it does become fair because that is more important than anything else. So it really depends on her situation," concluded Rosberg.

Novak Djokovic slams Naomi Osaka French Open press conferences boycott

While men's World No.1 Novak Djokovic acknowledged that Naomi Osaka may have her reasons to boycott the French Open press conferences, he yet insisted that as a professional it is her duty to attend them. Speaking to the reporters, Djokovic said, "I understand that press conferences sometimes can be very unpleasant. And it’s not something that you enjoy, always, you know, especially if you lose a match or something like this. But it is part of the sport and part of your life on the tour. This is something we have to do, otherwise, we will get fined."

Naomi Osaka French Open fines

With four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka staying true to her commitment of skipping French Open press conferences, the French tennis board has imposed a fine of $15,000. The French Federation has also threatened Osaka with harsher penalties, including being defaulted, if she continues to avoid media interactions throughout the tournament. Meanwhile, Osaka got through her first round with ease as she beat world number 63 Patricia Maria Țig, 6-4 7-6. The Japanese tennis ace will now face Romania's Ana Bogdan in her second-round match on Wednesday, June 2.