Naomi Osaka Withdraws From French Open to Prioritise Her Mental Health

Tennis star shuts down the haters.

All our respect is going out to Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka after she announced on Twitter her withdrawal from the French Open tournament to focus on her own mental well-being.

The world No. 2's withdrawal comes after a wild 24 hours where Osaka was fined $US15,000 for skipping a post-match press conference after her first-round victory.

Before the tournament started, Osaka said that she would not be speaking to the media at all for her own mental health reasons.

“I’m writing this to say I’m not going to do any press during Roland Garros” Osaka wrote on her Twitter.

“I've often felt that people have no regard for athletes' mental health and this rings 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.”

Big respect right there to call out the status quo.

Sadly, Osaka’s words have ruffled the feathers of the old guard in the world of sport, with some journalists and athletes saying that being a part of press conferences and interviews are part of being in the public domain as a sportsperson.

Worse still, others accused her of using mental health as an excuse instead of admitting she doesn’t play well on clay courts.

C’mon, really? Are people still playing that card in 2021?

Following the media backlash, Osaka stood firm and withdrew from the tournament, showing that nothing in life is more important than looking after your own mental health and we couldn’t agree more.

In a tweet published earlier this morning, Osaka highlighted that she has struggled with her mental health for some time now and this was the right call to make.

“I would never trivialise mental health or use the term lightly,” Osaka wrote.

“The truth is I have suffered long bouts of depression since the US Open in 2018 and I have had a really hard time coping with that.”

I just wanna give her a big hug.

“Anyone that knows me knows I’m introverted… I am not a natural public speaker and get huge waves of anxiety before I speak to the world’s media.”

The star finished the tweet stating she would be taking time away from the court and honestly, we can’t blame her at all.

It’s awesome to see that aside from those few haters, the rest of the sporting world has got fully behind Osaka and her decision.

Naomi Osaka is demonstrating the power of refusal. To refuse work at the expense of our health, wellness, & more. To refuse humiliation under the guise of professionalism. Refusal is beautiful. It’s even better when we do it collectively. Support her and workers who aren’t rich.

— Breya M. Johnson (@TheBlackLayers) May 31, 2021

Like everyone above, we hope that Osaka’s stand will start to change the conversation around mental health for athletes who are expected to perform at the highest level every week, and we’ll keep cheering her on until she returns to the court.

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Header Image: Tim Clayton - Corbis / Contributor via Getty Images