July 08, (THEWILL) – World number two tennis player Naomi Osaka returned to the subject of her mental health concerns in an article she penned in TIME magazine wherein she asked for “privacy” and “empathy” in future when she returns to active competition again.
Osaka took some time off tennis after the events that led to her decision to withdraw from the French Open in Paris after only the first round of matches. THEWILL recalls that the Japanese kept to her pre-Slam promise of boycotting post-match press conferences and was slammed with a warning from all four Grand Slams and a $15,000 fine.
She has since also excused herself from other meets since after the French Open such as the Birmingham Classic, the Eastbourne International, the Grass Court Championships Berlin and even the ongoing competition at the All England Club, promising to return in the Olympics.
In the article, the 23-year-old explained why she felt it necessary to skip the media commitments and why she felt it was so important to be open about what she was going through, as difficult as it was to do.
She wrote: “I communicated that I wanted to skip press conferences at Roland Garros to exercise self-care and preservation of my mental health. I stand by that. Athletes are humans. Tennis is our privileged profession, and of course there are commitments off the court that coincide.
“But I can’t imagine another profession where a consistent attendance record (I have missed one press conference in my seven years on tour) would be so harshly scrutinised. Perhaps we should give athletes the right to take a mental break from media scrutiny on a rare occasion without being subject to strict sanctions.
“In any other line of work, you would be forgiven for taking a personal day here and there, so long as it’s not habitual. You wouldn’t have to divulge your most personal symptoms to your employer; there would likely be HR measures protecting at least some level of privacy.
“In my case, I felt under a great amount of pressure to disclose my symptoms—frankly because the press and the tournament did not believe me. I do not wish that on anyone and hope that we can enact measures to protect athletes, especially the fragile ones. I also do not want to have to engage in a scrutiny of my personal medical history ever again.”
She injected an appeal here: “So, I ask the Press for some level of privacy and empathy next time we meet.
“There can be moments for any of us where we are dealing with issues behind the scenes. Each of us as humans is going through something on some level. I have numerous suggestions to offer the tennis hierarchy, but my No. 1 suggestion would be to allow a small number of “sick days” per year where you are excused from your press commitments without having to disclose your personal reasons. I believe this would bring sport in line with the rest of society.
“Finally, I want to thank everyone who supported me. There are too many to name, but I want to start with my family and friends, who have been amazing. There is nothing more important than those relationships. I also want to thank those in the public eye who have supported, encouraged and offered such kind words.”
When Osaka announced she was pulling out of Wimbledon but was going to play at the Olympics, one of her representatives clarified her position by saying: “She is taking some personal time with friends and family. She will be ready for the Olympics and is excited to play in front of her home fans.”
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
