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In 2021, famous tennis player Naomi Osaka made international headlines when she withdrew from the 2021 French Open competition due to her struggles with depression and anxiety. Naomi Osaka’s mental health has been a frequent topic in interviews ever since, and the athlete doesn’t shy away from sharing her struggles with the public.
Naomi Osaka: The Early Years & Her Career
Naomi Osaka was born in Japan; her mother is Japanese, and her father is Haitian. When she was 3, the family moved from Japan to New York with her father’s parents. At a very young age, Osaka’s father became inspired to teach his daughters how to play tennis after he saw the famous Williams sisters rise to fame. He knew the father of the Williams sisters taught them and helped them be successful, and he could replicate those actions to do the same with his daughters.
By age 8 or 9, Osaka had shown enough talent that the family decided to move to Florida for better training opportunities. At 16, Osaka was classified as a professional and started competing at an international level.
The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) has ranked Osaka as the world No. 1 in singles. She’s broken records by being the first Asian player to hold a top ranking in singles. She’s won multiple international competitions and is the first woman to win successive major singles titles since Serena Williams in 2015.
Naomi Osaka’s Mental Health
From an external perspective, Osaka seemed to have a thriving career and a perfect life. But all that success came at a price.
Right before the start of the French Open, Osaka made a shocking move by announcing she wouldn’t fulfill her mandatory media assignments. She stated, “I’ve often felt that people have no regard for athletes’ mental health, and this rings very true whenever I see a press conference or partake in one. We’re often sat there and asked questions that we’ve been asked multiple times before or asked questions that bring doubt into our minds, and I’m just not going to subject myself to people that doubt me. I’ve watched many clips of athletes breaking down after a loss in the press room, and I know you have as well. I believe that whole situation is kicking a person while they’re down, and I don’t understand the reasoning behind it.”
When she won her first match and didn’t hold a press conference, she was fined $15,000 and threatened with expulsion from the competition.
The next day, she responded to all the negative attention by withdrawing from the competition. Naomi Osaka’s anxiety was getting to her, and she didn’t think she could proceed with any more matches. She said in a statement, “I think now the best thing for the tournament, the other players and my well-being is that I withdraw so that everyone can get back to focusing on the tennis going on in Paris. I never wanted to be a distraction, and I accept that my timing was not ideal, and my message could have been clearer. More importantly, I would never trivialize mental health or use the term lightly.”
Many in the media and other athletes questioned the athlete’s decisions and wording, so she tried to clear the air further. Naomi Osaka’s depression and anxiety were simply taking over, and she couldn’t cope anymore.
In a final statement, she shared that she suffered from “long bouts of depression” since the 2018 U.S. Open final, when her win against Serena Williams was questioned. She also addressed her anxiety once more, saying, “Anyone [who] knows me knows I’m introverted, and anyone [who] has seen me at the tournaments will notice that I’m often wearing headphones as that helps dull my social anxiety.” She also experienced “huge waves of anxiety” before speaking at press conferences. She explained, “So here in Paris, I was already feeling vulnerable and anxious, so I thought it was better to exercise self‑care and skip the press conferences.”
Tennis and Pressure
All sports at a professional level come with immense pressure. Athletes are broken down and criticized in the post-game analysis, face aggressive questions during media interviews and are openly ranked against their competition. A 2021 study found that 41.4% of elite athletes are at a higher risk of mental health disorders, including depression and anxiety.
Tennis is a beloved sport, and thousands of people tune in to watch the biggest matches. Understandably, Naomi Osaka felt the pressure of it all. She thought she had to prove herself as a woman and an Asian athlete. Additionally, she has to compete against the very athletes she looked up to her entire life, like Serena Williams. And when she did win against her childhood idols, the validity of her win was questioned.
Osaka’s Mental Health Advocacy
In light of Osaka’s openness about her mental health struggles, many other athletes have come forward with supportive messages. Perhaps one of the most insightful responses came from 18-time grand slam champion Martina Navratilova, who said, “I truly hope she will be OK. As athletes, we are taught to take care of our body, and perhaps the mental and emotional aspect gets short shrift. This is about more than doing or not doing a press conference.”
Osaka has continued to speak about her mental health struggles openly. Her advocacy is powerful, as not enough athletes share on this topic. Many athletes believe they have to maintain an image of being strong at all times so their opponents fear them. But you can be a top-performing athlete and have mental health struggles. However, you must know how to address those struggles to continue to be a top performer.
In May 2022, Osaka began a partnership with workplace wellness platform Modern Health. The tennis star came on as the chief community health advocate of Modern Health’s community impact program.
Alyson Watson, chief executive officer of Modern Health, said, “Naomi’s bravery in publicly sharing her own struggles has already helped destigmatize and reframe the conversation around mental health. Together, we have the same mission — to decrease stigma and increase access to care so that people can get the help they need when they need it.”
Osaka is just one person, but her commitment to mental health awareness is impressive and making a difference to current and inspiring athletes.
