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Tennis legend Boris Becker had some tough words for Naomi Osaka at the start of Wimbledon last week after she announced she would skip the tournament.

“If you can’t deal with the media, it’s very difficult to be a professional tennis player,” Becker told The Times of UK. “The tour isn’t possible without the press. And it’s difficult to make your prize money, or money for your sponsors without the media. It’s not something we look forward to. But it’s part of the job. You have to learn to deal with it.”

Osaka raised eyebrows when she declined to speak with the media at the French Open. She eventually withdrew after being threatened with default and fines. She then announced she would take a break from the spotlight and later committed to focusing on the Olympics, where she would represent Japan.

Becker predicted in an interview with The Times of UK on Saturday she would have a tough time if she can’t face the media pressure.

Becker, who won three times at Wimbledon and had six major titles overall during his career, also questioned Osaka over her stance that the pressure was causing her trouble.

“Is that really pressure? Isn’t it pressure when you don’t have food on the table? When you’ve got to feed your family and you don’t have a job? When you have a life-changing injury? Isn’t that more pressure?” he asked rhetorically.

“You’re 23, you’re healthy, you’re wealthy, your family is good. Where’s the f—king pressure?”

Osaka announced her decision to withdraw from the French Open on May 31.

She explained in a statement that she could have explained herself better and decided she was going to take a break from tennis and social media.

“This isn’t a situation I ever imagined or intended when I posted a few days ago. I think now the best thing for the tournament, the other players and my well-being is that I withdraw so that everyone can get back to focusing on the tennis going on in Paris. I never wanted to be a distraction and I accept my timing was not ideal and my message could have been clearer,” Osaka wrote. 

“More importantly I would never trivialize mental health or use the term lightly. The truth is that I suffered long bouts of depression since the US Open in 2018 and I have had a really hard time coping with that. Anyone that knows me knows I’m introverted, and anyone that has seen me at tournaments will notice that I’m often wearing headphones as that helps dulls my social anxiety.”

Osaka apologized to the “cool journalists” who she “may have hurt,” but explained that she’s not a “natural public speaker” and experiences intense anxiety addressing the media. “I get really nervous and find it stressful to always engage and give you the best answers I can.”

“So here in Paris I was already feeling vulnerable and anxious so I thought it was better to exercise self-care and skip the press conferences. I announced it pre-emptively because I do feel like the rules are quite outdated in parts and I wanted to highlight that. I wrote privately to the tournament apologizing and saying that I would be more than happy to speak with them after the tournament as the Slams are intense. I’m gonna take some time away from the court now, but when the time is right I really want to work with the Tour to discuss ways we can make things better for the playoffs, press and fans.”

Osaka concluded her statement with “Anyways hope you are all doing well and staying safe, I love you guys I’ll see you when I see you.”

She announced earlier this month she would take “personal time” to gear up for the Olympics.

She later broke her social media silence to tweet she was on the cover of Vogue Japan.

This story originally appeared on: NyPost - Author:Fox News

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Former NFL linebacker David Pollack hyped up the potential of former Alabama quarterback Mac Jones on Tuesday days before the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft kicks off.

Pollack, a college football analyst for ESPN, said on “Get Up” that Jones’ tape is better than the other top quarterbacks in the draft class this year.

“I hear it all over the place,” he said, via AL.com. “‘I can’t believe the 49ers could move up to 3 to get Mac Jones.’ I get it. He’s not dynamic. He’s not going to wow you in shorts. He’s not going to wow you at your pro day.

“His tape is better than Justin Fields. His tape is better than Zach Wilson. His tape is better than Trey Lance. His tape is better than Trevor Lawrence.”

Pollack dismissed the notion that the loaded offense built around Jones with the Crimson Tide was the main reason for the quarterback’s success.

“How many times have we watched those guys make spectacular catches? The dude puts it on the money, bro. He could have the best supporting cast ever. He makes great decisions on time,” Pollack said, adding that Jones is not a “scrub.”

Jones got his chance to start for Alabama in 2019 when Tua Tagovailoa went down with a season-ending hip injury. In 2020, he wrangled the starting job again and recorded 4,500 passing yards – the most in FBS – and 41 touchdown passes — not to mention, leading Alabama to a national title.

Pollack isn’t the only one high on Jones. Former NFL coach June Jones told Fox News in March that Mac Jones was the best quarterback in the draft class.

“The quarterback that I think five years from now will be the best one is the Alabama kid, Mac Jones,” June Jones said. “He has only played one year but I’m going to be honest, of all of his throws this year, his vertical throws down the field were as accurate as I’ve ever seen, including of some of the top NFL guys that are names that everybody knows.

“I think he’s got enough movement, enough ability — he’s not a runner but he looks to throw when he slides around and I just think he’s got a chance to be a great one.”

This story originally appeared on: NyPost - Author:Fox News

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The Cincinnati Reds hit six home runs in Thursday night’s loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks, but one fan lost even more trying to catch one of those homers for his son.

Eugenio Suarez, 29, hit his first home run since April 10 to tie the game 4-4 in the sixth inning, and as he was rounding the bases, a Reds fan in the stands took a huge tumble trying to catch the ball for his kid.

The man, who has been dubbed the “Nacho Man” by social media users, had a tray of cheesy chips in one hand while trying to catch the baseball in the other. 

Just when he thought he had it, he didn’t. He tumbled two rows down trying to recover the ball but instead lost his nachos, his shoe and probably a little dignity. Another little boy capitalized on the cringeworthy moment and got a hold of Suarez’s homer. 

The story does have a silver lining — the viral moment was seen by the wife of Reds relief pitched Lucas Sims, who took to Twitter to find “Nacho Man” so they could get him a baseball from the game.

“We’ll get you taken care of Nacho Man,” Sims added.

Lucky enough, the Sims found the man and said they were sending him an autographed ball for his son. They even threw in a free pizza to cover the cost of his lost nachos.

The Reds lost 14-11, ending the season series with the Diamondbacks 1-5. Cincinnati became the first team in major league history to lose when it hit at least six home runs and its starting pitcher allowed two or fewer runs, according to STATS.

— With AP

This story originally appeared on: NyPost - Author:Fox News