Naomi Osaka is speaking out in a new essay focused on mental health, standing by her steps to "exercise self-care" while thanking Meghan Markle, Michelle Obama, and others for their support.
The tennis star in May withdrew from the French Open after she was fined $15,000 for skipping a mandatory news conference to focus on her mental health, and in an essay in Time published Thursday, she reflected on some of the lessons she learned. For one, she wrote that "you can never please everyone," pointing to the fact that "issues that are so obvious to me at face value, like wearing a mask in a pandemic or kneeling to show support for anti-racism, are ferociously contested."
In addition, though, Osaka said she's learned that "literally everyone either suffers from issues related to their mental health or knows someone who does," as affirmed by the messages she's received from a "vast cross section of people." Numerous people "in the public eye" like Michelle Obama, Michael Phelps, Steph Curry, Novak Djokovic, and Meghan Markle have expressed support and offered her "such kind words," she revealed.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Osaka went on to say she stands by her desire to skip press conferences during the French Open to "exercise self-care and preservation of my mental health," arguing the press conference format is "in great need of a refresh." She adds that she felt she was under "a great amount of pressure to disclose my symptoms" because "the press and the tournament did not believe me," something she doesn't wish "on anyone" else. While requesting "privacy and empathy," she calls for tennis players to receive a "small number of 'sick days' per year where you are excused from your press commitments without having to disclose your personal reasons."
After having time to "recharge," though, Osaka writes that she "could not be more excited" for the Tokyo Olympics. Read more at Time.
-
How China is battling the chikungunya virusUnder The Radar Thousands of cases of the debilitating disease have been found in the country
-
Deep thoughts: AI shows its math chopsFeature Google's Gemini is the first AI system to win gold at the International Mathematical Olympiad
-
Book reviews: 'Face With Tears of Joy: A Natural History of Emoji' and 'Blood Harmony: The Everly Brothers Story'Feature The surprising history of emojis and the brother duo who changed pop music
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposesspeed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wifespeed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
-
Giant schnauzer wins top prize at Westminster showSpeed Read Monty won best in show at the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show
-
Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar take top GrammysSpeed Read Beyoncé took home album of the year for 'Cowboy Carter' and Kendrick Lamar's diss track 'Not Like Us' won five awards
-
The Louvre is giving 'Mona Lisa' her own roomSpeed Read The world's most-visited art museum is getting a major renovation
-
Honda and Nissan in merger talksSpeed Read The companies are currently Japan's second and third-biggest automakers, respectively
