Piers Morgan and former Fox News host Megyn Kelly have taken fresh shots at tennis star Naomi Osaka after the 23-year-old appeared on the front cover of Sports Illustrated.
Osaka made history by becoming the first Haitian and Japanese woman to ever appear on the cover of the long-running magazine, known for its swimsuit photoshoots.
First Haitian and Japanese woman on the cover 🇭🇹🇯🇵❤️ pic.twitter.com/SLcKNSrSkH
— NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) July 19, 2021
However, Osaka has received backlash from numerous individuals for the photoshoot, including the aforementioned Kelly and Morgan.
This is related to the fact that Osaka opted to drop out of both the French Open and Wimbledon tournaments earlier this year on mental health grounds and said she did not want to take part in press conferences. At the time she said: “Though the tennis press has always been kind to me… I am not a natural public speaker and get huge waves of anxiety before I speak to the world’s media.”
Osaka was criticised by certain sectors of the media for dropping out of the competitions but many have since cited her continued media presence. The star has already appeared in Vogue and Time Magazine, released her own Barbie doll and launched her own self-titled Netflix documentary series.
In response, Morgan mockingly wrote on Twitter: “ANOTHER magazine cover for brave inspiring Naomi! No wonder she had no time for beastly media press conferences.”
ANOTHER magazine cover for brave inspiring Naomi!
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) July 19, 2021
No wonder she had no time for beastly media press conferences! 🤣 https://t.co/ckrKodKBc5
Meanwhile, Kelly also took a shot at the young tennis pro which resulted in Osaka blocking her on Twitter.
Let’s not forget the cover of (& interview in) Vogue Japan and Time Mag! https://t.co/PAAUEwAVi0
— Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) July 19, 2021
Poor @naomiosaka blocked me while taking a shot at me (guess she’s only tough on the courts). She is apparently arguing that she shot her many covers b/4 publicly claiming she was too socially anxious to deal w/press. Truth is she just doesn’t like Qs she can’t control. Admit it. pic.twitter.com/izyRzOrUVm
— Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) July 19, 2021
Morgan chimed in to tell Kelly that Osaka had also blocked him on Twitter, sarcastically adding: “The only media Ms Osaka wants to tolerate are sycophantic magazine editors telling her how perfect she is.”
Yep, and she just blocked me too. The only media Ms Osaka wants to tolerate are sycophantic magazine editors telling her how perfect she is. https://t.co/oLcyJviR4v
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) July 19, 2021
However, many have since come to the defence of Osaka, mostly notably tennis legend Martina Navratilova, who called Kelly an “a**hole” and added: “You have no idea what you are talking about.”
Asshole much , Megyn?!? You have no idea what you are talking about. But go ahead- take your shot. It missed badly!!! https://t.co/aCQTSvIT2Z
— Martina Navratilova (@Martina) July 19, 2021
Hey Megyn Kelly, I get you are trying to stay relavent by being outraged because @naomiosaka rightfully blocked your ass. But, if you are so against blocking, ask some of your right-wing pundit friends to unblock me so I can continue to call out their proganda.
— David Weissman (@davidmweissman) July 19, 2021
My thoughts are with Megan & Piers at this difficult time, as they come to terms with the idea of someone not wanting to be in front of a camera 24/7
— Don Moynihan (@donmoyn) July 19, 2021
Wait: Megyn Kelly is accusing @naomiosaka of not being “tough enough” because Naomi blocked her on Twitter?
— Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) July 19, 2021
Smh. I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s been blocked by Megyn. pic.twitter.com/rwzHIx3Mmm
The obsession some people have with attacking Naomi Osaka is interesting.
— mike freeman (@mikefreemanNFL) July 19, 2021
Really, really, really interesting.
It involves race, privilege, and a lack of understanding of mental health.
You could write a doctorate thesis on it.
Naomi Osaka is 23, and she is trying to live her best life. You are 50 and trying to stay relevant by picking a fight with someone on Twitter more than half your age. Go write a book about being irrelevant and leave the young woman alone. https://t.co/lfF1QJB9nl
— Christopher Bouzy (@cbouzy) July 20, 2021
You are a monster and should ashamed of yourself ms Kelly
— ✌🏼rosanna arquette (@RoArquette) July 20, 2021
In what appears to be a now-deleted tweet, Osaka fired back at Kelly to inform the reporter that these photoshoots were shot last year before she started to speak out about her mental health.
Naomi Osaka called out Megyn Kelly over criticism of the tennis star appearing on the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. pic.twitter.com/esvaIiHLoL
— Sporting News (@sportingnews) July 19, 2021
A few weeks ago, Morgan was criticised for saying 18-year-old Emma Raducanu dropped out of Wimbledon because she “couldn’t handle the pressure”. The youngster withdrew because of breathing problems, and later said: “I found it very difficult to regulate my breathing. It was emphasised my some long rallies we had towards the end of the first set which made it tough for me to keep my composure and breathing in check.
“I don’t know what caused it, I think it was a combination of everything that has gone on behind the scenes and the accumulation of the excitement and the buzz.”
