Naomi Osaka says she received support from Meghan Markle, Michelle Obama after withdrawing from French Open


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.
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.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
President Trump: ‘waging war’ on Chicago
Talking Point Federal agents are carrying out ‘increasingly aggressive’ immigration raids – but have sanctuary cities like Chicago brought it on themselves?
-
Crossword: October 18, 2025
The Week's daily crossword puzzle
-
Codeword: October 18, 2025
The Week's daily codeword puzzle
-
Hungary’s Krasznahorkai wins Nobel for literature
Speed Read László Krasznahorkai is the author of acclaimed novels like ‘The Melancholy of Resistance’ and ‘Satantango’
-
Primatologist Jane Goodall dies at 91
Speed Read She rose to fame following her groundbreaking field research with chimpanzees
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclub
Speed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's ills
Speed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, Stallone
Speed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's view
Speed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talk
Speed 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