After she stepped out from the French Open to take a mental health break, Naomi Osaka says former first lady Michelle Obama, Michael Phelps, Novak Djokovic, and Stephen Curry came by to offer support.
Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam champion and former No. 1 player, wrote in an essay for Time magazine’s Olympic preview issue, that she hopes “we can enact measures to protect athletes, especially the fragile ones,” and that they be allowed to skip media obligations on occasion without bashing.
“Any of us can have moments where we are struggling with challenges behind the scenes,” wrote Osaka. “On some level, each of us as humans is going through something.”
She stated before the start of the French Open that she would not speak to the media throughout the tournament, claiming that such meetings were oftentimes uncomfortable and caused her on-court doubts. Osaka was fined $15,000 after her first-round victory in Paris for skipping her customary press conference, and the four Grand Slam events threatened her with disqualification or suspension if she continued to shun the media.
Osaka suddenly withdrew from the event, claiming that she suffers from nervousness and anxiety before press conferences and has had episodes of depression in previous years.
She stated for Time, “Believe it or not, I am naturally introverted and do not court the spotlight.” “I always try to push myself to stand up for what I believe in, but it often comes at a high cost of anxiety.”
She hasn’t played since Paris, and neither would she play for Wimbledon, which concludes on Sunday.
She will be back in the Tokyo Olympics, which begins on 23rd July to represent Japan.
“It has become evident to me that literally everyone either suffers from or knows someone who suffers from mental health issues,” Osaka said in her essay, later on adding, “I do hope that others can empathize and understand it’s OK to not be OK, and it’s OK to talk about it.”
Osaka believes the “format itself is out of date and in desperate need of a refresh” when it comes to press conferences.
She also suggested that tennis players be given “a small number of ‘sick days’ per year, where you are exempted from your press obligations without having to divulge your personal reasons.” This, I believe, would align sport with the rest of society.”
