Naomi Osaka and the Importance on Mental Health

Naomi Osaka is known for defeating, then reigning champion, Serena Williams in the 2018 US Open. Since then, Osaka has been winning titles consecutively. She is the first Asian tennis player to hold a number one ranking in singles. She has won four Grand Slam championships and has held that position in the US Open and Australian Open. All these achievements cause an incredible amount of pressure of people counting on her which can cause a strain on her mental health.

Osaka was born in Japan to a Japanese mother and Haitan father. When she was three she began her training here in the United States. Beating Samantha Stouser in the 2014 Stanford Classic was what gave her a good debut in the tennis world.  

Osaka has recently been going through a media ban, due to her mental health.When the Grand Slam, Roland Garros was beginning, Osaka said she would not be doing any press conferences.  According to The Athletic, Osaka said, “If the organizations think that they can just keep saying ‘do press or you’re gonna be fined,’ and continue to ignore the mental health of the athletes that are the centerpiece of their cooperation then I just gotta laugh.” 

A few days after the French Open started, she was fined $15K for neglecting her “duties” to attend news conferences, after her match against Patricia Maria Tig, who Osaka defeated. Soon after, she withdrew out of the French Open. Osaka later put out a statement on Twitter stating that she has suffered with depression and the media hasn’t helped with her social anxiety. In her statement she said that they are “asked questions that bring doubt into our minds and I’m just not going to subject myself to people that doubt me.” Osaka highlighted her social anxiety was a big part of why she didn’t want to attend these post-match press conferences. 

The Grand Slams rule book does have a rule about players attending post-match news conferences. Article three, section H states that, “a player or team must attend the post-match media conference(s) organized immediately or within thirty (30) minutes after the conclusion of each match, including walkovers, whether the player or team was the winner or loser unless such time is extended or otherwise modified by the Referee for good cause.” It also states that a fine can go up to $20,000. 

Though some people do support Osaka to leave the tennis match, there are some athletes who aren’t in total agreement. When Rafael Nadal, ranked number three in the world, was asked about it he said that the press helps these tennis players be as well known as they are today. According to ABC news, many journalists have shown their disapproval of Osaka and neglected these interviews. ABC News also reported that many journalists said she wins a lot of money because of what goes on during these press interviews since she is the highest-paid female athlete in the world. 

The pressure Osaka has is a very big reason that she might have these mental health issues.These issues seemed to have started ever since she won the 2018 US Open.  She is only 23 years old and is expected to win every Grand Slam and perform well to make her nation and fans proud. She is expected to represent Japan in this year’s Tokyo Olympics, performing in front of almost the whole world watching her attentively. Also, being reminded that everyone is counting on you and asking questions that pressure even further don’t help them with the issue at hand. Osaka aslo talks about the horrible feeling you get when losing a match and knowing you have to get interviewed after. 

Many athletes have talked about their own battles with mental health. Big names, such as Michael Phelps talking about depression. According to the New York Times, Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman is coping with post-traumatic stress disorder. Many of these athletes speaking out help not only fans but coaches see what they go through behind closed doors.