By Erik Gudris | Thursday, July 8, 2021
For the first time since withdrawing from Roland Garros, Naomi Osaka shared her thoughts on mental health, the role of the press, and the upcoming Olympics in Tokyo.
The four-time major champion writes about her views in a new essay for Time Magazine titled “It’s Ok Not to Be Ok.”
Osaka withdrew from Roland Garros in June before her second round match after tournament organizers fined her $15,000 and threatened to default her when she announced she would not participate in press conferences during the event.
Osaka cited the need to protect her mental health and then later chose to skip Wimbledon to prepare for the upcoming Summer Games.
In her essay, Osaka reveals that she didn’t expect so much controversy about her decision, but was also surprised by the amount of support she received from athletes and fans worldwide.
“It has become apparent to me that literally everyone either suffers from issues related to their mental health or knows someone who does,” Osaka writes. “The number of messages I received from such a vast cross section of people confirms that. I think we can almost universally agree that each of us is a human being and subject to feelings and emotions.”
The four-time Grand Slam champion added that she had no issues with the media, rather the traditional format of post-match press conferences. Tennis tournaments usually require players to make themselves available after every match and answer every question, match related or not. Osaka feels that the press conference format and rules around them need to be reimagined.
“I always try to answer genuinely and from the heart. I’ve never been media-trained, so what you see is what you get. The way I see it, the reliance and respect from athlete to press is reciprocal,” Osaka writes. “However, in my opinion (and I want to say that this is just my opinion and not that of every tennis player on tour), the press conference format itself is out of date and in great need of a refresh. I believe that we can make it better, more interesting and more enjoyable for each side. Less subject vs. object; more peer to peer.
“The intention was never to inspire revolt, but rather to look critically at our workplace and ask if we can do better,” Osaka added.
The reigning Australian and US Open champion, having taken a break from the game, is now looking forward to the upcoming Olympics where she will compete in singles for Japan.
After taking the past few weeks to recharge and spend time with my loved ones, I have had the time to reflect, but also to look forward. I could not be more excited to play in Tokyo. An Olympic Games itself is special, but to have the opportunity to play in front of the Japanese fans is a dream come true. I hope I can make them proud.”
Read Naomi Osaka's full essay here.
Photo credit: Mark Peterson/Corleve