Naomi Osaka opens up about depression and anxiety as she withdraws from French Open

 

"I was already feeling vulnerable and anxious, so I decided to take care of myself by skipping the press conferences." I made the announcement ahead of time because I believe the rules are somewhat outdated in places, and I wanted to emphasise that- Naomi Osaka 

 

Naomi Osaka, the world No. 2, has withdrawn from the French Open, a day after she was fined $15,000 and threatened with expulsion for refusing to speak to the media following her first-round victory.

 

Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam champion and one of tennis' biggest names, issued a statement last week stating that she would not participate in press conferences during the French Open because they were detrimental to her mental health.

 

The Grand Slam tennis tournaments' board of directors warned her that if she didn't engage with the press for the rest of the tournament, "she would be exposing herself to possible further Code of Conduct infringement consequences."

 

"As might be expected, repeat violations result in harsher penalties, such as withdrawal from the tournament... and the initiation of a major offence investigation, which could result in larger fines and future grand slam suspensions," the board said in a statement.

 

Instead, Osaka has decided to withdraw from the tournament entirely, claiming that it is in the best interests of the tournament, the other players, and her own health.

 

"I never intended to be a nuisance, and I acknowledge that my timing was off and that my message could have been more clear. In a new statement, she said, "I would never trivialise mental health or use the term lightly."

 

Osaka revealed she has been suffering from depression for three years and had written to the tournament organisers privately ahead of time to explain her decision.

 

"The truth is that I've been dealing with long bouts of depression since the US Open in 2018, and it's been extremely difficult for me to cope." Anyone who knows me knows I'm introverted, and anyone who has seen me at tournaments knows I'm always wearing headphones to help with my social anxiety," she explained.

 

"Though the tennis press has always been kind to me (and I especially want to apologise to all the cool journalists I may have offended), I am not a natural public speaker and experience huge waves of anxiety before speaking to the world's media." I get very nervous and find it stressful to always try to engage and provide you with the best answers I can."

 

Osaka also stated that she felt the strict rules governing athlete media appearances were out of date, and that she was only doing so to protect her mental health when she said she would skip the media rounds. She also stated that she was looking forward to working with the Tour to improve things for everyone involved, particularly in terms of mental health.

 

"Because I was already feeling vulnerable and anxious in Paris, I decided to take care of myself by skipping the press conferences." I made the announcement ahead of time because I believe the rules are somewhat outdated in places, and I wanted to emphasise that.

 

"I apologized privately to the tournament and stated that I would be happy to speak with them after the tournament because the Slams are extremely demanding."

 

"I'm going to take a break from the court for a while, but when the time comes, I'd like to work with the Tour to discuss how we can improve things for the players, press, and fans."

 

Osaka's decision to withdraw from the French Open comes after she spent the majority of 2020 devoted to social activism, specifically supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. She has openly admitted to being a shy and anxious person, but she chose to make history by becoming the first tennis player to strike in solidarity following the police shooting of Jacob Blake. Her actions set the tone for the rest of the sport to follow. She clearly takes her role as a leader in a predominantly white sport seriously, as she stated at the time, "before I am an athlete, I am a black woman."

 

Now, in the midst of the pandemic, Osaka has been named Japan's face of the upcoming Tokyo Olympics – a high-pressure role given public outrage over the Games' very existence.

 

Despite clearly not liking media conferences, Osaka had never stepped away from them until last week, when she admitted that the pressure was getting to her and her mental health wasn't up to it.

 

Osaka, who is only 23 years old, has never been more vulnerable. Some breathing room and support could go a long way toward improving outcomes not only for her, but for all athletes in high-pressure situations.