A British journalist found himself in some hot water at the French Open when his media credentials were briefly removed after being deemed ‘unprofessional’ during a press conference.
Jonathan Pinfield, who is a reporter for Live Sports FM, was penalised after saying to Alexander Zverev he was at the supermarket when he was given the chance to speak with the German. This year’s French Open has issued numerous remote media passes due to the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning journalists can access press conferences via zoom. Following that comment he asked the following question which generated a humorous response from Zverev.
“Can you just tell me, A, can you give me some advice on my timekeeping and ways I can make sure I won’t be late for the next big event? How will you be spending the next few days before your next-round match? Now I’m here, what’s the one thing I can buy you to celebrate your win?” said Pinfield.
However, the unorthodox questioning failed to go down well with French Open organisers. Shortly afterwards, Pinfield was informed that his media credentials had been revoked due to unprofessionalism. He is renowned for his unique questions with his Yorkshire accent that got him fame at the same tournament a couple years ago. In 2018 Zverev spoke with Pinfield for the first time and was baffled by the accent in a video which went viral.
The world No.6 was questioned about the situation following his second round win over Roman Safiullin on Wednesday. He produced a total of 41 winners and won 80% of his first service points.
“Jonathan for me is a very nice guy. I hope he gets his media pass back,” said Zverev. “I don’t want to be the reason why he lost his media pass. I think he did it more as a joke.’
“I also do jokes sometimes that are taken the wrong way, then I get a lot of shits torm by a lot of you guys (the media).
“Of course, I would like him to have his media pass back because I think he’s a very nice person, a very nice guy. But, again, it’s not my decision and I’m not a politician.”
Fortunately for Pinfield his credentials have now been fully reinstated by the French Tennis Federation (FFT).
The timing of the controversy occurs during the same tournament where Naomi Osaka skipped her media commitments due to mental health concerns. A move which triggers closer scrutiny on the type of questions which are asked during press conferences by journalists. Osaka later withdrew from the tournament after revealing her own personal struggles.
