Questions that reporters should never ask tennis players at press conferences

When it comes to asking questions, the reporters are the hunters and the hot, sweaty, tired tennis players are the hunted. Reporters often times will ask questions along the lines of how the match was won and sadly how it was lost; looking forward to the next match; having a definite gameplan, etc. Some reporters’ questions are mostly for the most vulnerable players who have no reason to challenge them and to dig up gossip, delicate issues or other tasty and sometimes untasteful topics they know players don’t want to talk about. Players in a press conference are put on the spot more than when they go on court to play to a few thousand people. Questions that should never be asked to tennis players and not put in any order of ridiculousness, just listed:

A player’s heritage or ethnicity – Teen ace Naomi Osaka has a Japanese mom and a Haitian dad. She plays for Japan in Fed Cup and team situations but doesn’t speak or understand as much Japanese as one would think. Japanese reporters put her on the defense by saying the session would be in ENGLISH ONLY, kind of embarrassing her because she has yet to perfect her speaking and understanding of Japanese. During this year’s 2016 Australian Open they asked her “What makes you more nervous, answering a group of Japanese reporters or playing in front of 10,000 at a Grand Slam?” She didn’t take much time to answer and Naomi bellowed out “that’s a mean question!” This ‘broke the ice’ and interviewing was over. The same …

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