“I Felt Ashamed,” 4-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka discusses the perils of mental health issues amongst athletes


“I Felt Ashamed,” 4-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka discusses the perils of mental health issues amongst athletes

Naomi Osaka

Naomi Osaka established herself as a formidable force to be reckoned with when she won 4 Grand Slams in just 4 years. She won her first major at the US Open in 2018, which was followed by the Australian Open in 2019. She repeated the same feat of winning back-to-back slams, when she won the US Open in 2020, followed by the Australian Open again in 2021. Her rapidly increasing major titles also meant a meteoric rise to the no.1 spot in the WTA list.

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However, the rapid rise came with its own difficulties and mental stress. Osaka faced severe mental health issues, which at one point, made her unable to ‘leave her home’.

For context, prior to the commencement of the Roland Garros 2021, Osaka announced that she would skip the mandatory media interactions. Hence, when she did not sit for a post-match press conference after her 1st round win, she was slapped with a $15,000 fine. The following day, Osaka withdrew from the tournament citing mental health issues. In a recent appearance on the Tonight’s Show with Stephen Colbert, the 25-year-old shared her crippling struggles and experiencing shame over it.

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“I felt like it was necessary, but I kind of felt ashamed at that moment because as an athlete you’re kind of told to be strong and push through everything, but I think I learned that it’s better to re-group and adjust the feelings you have at that moment and you can come back stronger. [But] wouldn’t have wanted it any other way because I learned a lot during that time” she told Colbert.

Osaka also explained the dilemma of sportspersons, who are hailed as examples of mental strength, hence their mental health issues are treated like chinks in the armor. “I think for me, I’ve just always been taught to kind of like stick it out or work through it, and I think that’s a very valuable lesson because it has gotten me through a lot of things in life. But there was just a point where I thought to myself like ‘why?’ you know” she said.

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Naomi Osaka on the support she received from fellow athletes

Naomi Osaka(Images: FirstSportz)
Naomi Osaka(Images: FirstSportz)

The 4-time Grand Slam champion’s decision to step back from tournaments during the peak of her career raised many eyebrows and questions. However, Osaka stands firm on her decision, and revealed that she received support and recognition from athletes she watched “on TV”.

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“I was kind of huddled up in my house for a while after that whole thing happened [following Roland Garros in 2021]”. But she chose to face her demons “I am feeling this way, why would I keep pushing through it, when I can confront it and fix it and then continue on my journey?” she added.

At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where she became the first tennis player to light the Olympic cauldron during the opening ceremony, Osaka received overwhelming support from fellow athletes. “Then I went to the Olympics and there were so many athletes that came up to me and I was so surprised and I was so honoured because these are people that I watch on TV and I like, I felt really grateful and felt really supported” she shared.

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