Tennis star Naomi Osaka believes that she ought to have been extra ready for the aftermath of deciding to skip press conferences on the French Open.
“Lesson one: you’ll be able to by no means please everybody. The world is as divided now as I can bear in mind in my brief 23 years. Points which are so apparent to me at face worth, like sporting a masks in a pandemic or kneeling to indicate assist for anti-racism, are ferociously contested. I imply, wow.” the four-time Grand Slam winner wrote in an essay in Time Journal. “So, after I mentioned I wanted to overlook French Open press conferences to care for myself mentally, I ought to have been ready for what unfolded.”
After saying her intention to skip French Open press conferences and following via after her first-round match, Osaka was hit with a $15,000 wonderful and confronted backlash. This led to her withdrawing from Roland Garros for psychological well being causes.
Within the essay, titled “Naomi Osaka: ‘It’s O.Ok. To not Be O.Ok,’” the 23-year-old writes about her psychological well being and nervousness that stems from taking part in press conferences. She thinks the tennis affiliation must do a greater job of managing gamers’ psychological well being.
“For my part (and I wish to say that that is simply my opinion and never that of each tennis participant on tour), the press-conference format itself is outdated and in nice want of a refresh. I consider that we are able to make it higher, extra fascinating and extra pleasant for both sides. Much less topic vs. object; extra peer to look.” Osaka mentioned.
One suggestion was permitting athletes to take a psychological well being break that may permit them to skip press conferences and never be confronted with extreme punishments for his or her actions.
Osaka, the No. 2-ranked girls’s participant on the planet, hopes that by taking a stand and withdrawing from the French Open that she will set a brand new precedent for psychological well being, whereas erasing the stigma that psychological well being shouldn’t be one thing simple to speak about.
“I all the time attempt to push myself to talk up for what I consider to be proper, however that always comes at a price of nice nervousness. I really feel uncomfortable being the spokesperson or face of athlete psychological well being because it’s nonetheless so new to me and I don’t have all of the solutions,” she wrote. “I do hope that folks can relate and perceive it’s O.Ok. to not be O.Ok., and it’s O.Ok. to speak about it. There are individuals who may help, and there may be often mild on the finish of any tunnel.”
