Piers Morgan Says Naomi Osaka Earns Millions 'Thanks to Positive Media Attention'

Piers Morgan has taken aim at tennis champion Naomi Osaka, claiming she earns millions thanks to positive media attention.

Osaka recently revealed she would no longer participate in media interviews because of the negative impact it had on her mental health.

She later announced she was "taking some time away from the court," withdrawing from the French Open, after struggling with anxiety and depression.

The announcement encouraged a host of celebrities, including NBA star Stephen Curry and tennis champion Serena Williams, to speak out in support of the tennis star.

Morgan took to Twitter on Tuesday to respond to a Vanity Fair headline which read: "Naomi Osaka has received an outpouring of support from celebrities and professional athletes alike after deciding not to compete in the French Open."

"Quite right too," Morgan wrote. "Nothing is more courageous, admirable or inspiring than an athlete earning $55m-a-year, much of it thanks to positive media attention, who refuses to compete because they don't want to answer possibly negative questions at a press conference."

Newsweek has contacted representatives of Osaka for comment.

Users were quick to take the opportunity to mock the British journalist for the way he makes his income.

"You get millions for doing something wayyyyyyy easier. Sitting in a chair, talking," @FCUMeezus wrote.

@paulgordondick1 added: "Millionaire claims man of the people mantle whilst criticising other millionaire."

Other people likened the situation to Morgan's dramatic exit from Good Morning Britain. In March, he stormed out of the ITV studios after he insisted that he did not believe the claims made by Meghan Markle in her interview with Oprah Winfrey.

Sharing a GIF of him walking out of the studio, @TuckerxUk posted: "Wasn't this you?"

To which user @pebbit added: "Pick my toys up."

The tweet comes after Morgan ripped into Naomi Osaka in his column for the Daily Mail.

He declared her an "arrogant spoiled brat whose fame and fortune appears to have inflated her ego to gigantic proportions" on the back of her decision to refuse press interactions.

The former Good Morning Britain host went on to accuse the star of "weaponizing mental health" in a bid to "justify her boycott."

He then claimed that the decision to withdraw from the French Open was unrelated to Osaka's mental well-being.

He wrote: "What Osaka really means is that she doesn't want to face the media if she hasn't played well, because the beastly journalists might actually dare to criticize her performance, and she's not going to 'subject' herself to 'people that doubt me.'"

In later tweets, Morgan raised questions on the fairness of Osaka sitting out of press obligations if other players are not be able to.

The slew of comments were met with a backlash online from users who questioned how much time he spends criticizing "women of colour."

Morgan clapped back by joking on that he has a "real problem with female black tennis stars" as he posted a photo of himself next to tennis icon Serena Williams.