Ahead of the US Open on Monday, Tennis superstar Naomi Osaka addressed the talks surrounding her recent withdrawals from the French Open and Wimbledon due to mental health issues.
To recall, back in May and early June, Osaka refused to do her media obligations due to her mental health problems. She eventually withdrew from the competition, noting that she has suffered from “long bouts of depression” since the 2018 US Open. It trickled down to Wimbledon, with the Japanese national taking some time off to be with family and friends as she prepared for the Olympics.
Looking back at everything that happened, though, Osaka acknowledged she could have handled some things differently.
“Honestly, I feel like there’s a lot of things that I did wrong in that moment, but I’m also the type of person that’s very in the moment,” Osaka said during the US Open media day, per Marc Berman of the New York Times. “Like whatever I feel, I’ll say it or do it. I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing. I think there’s a lot of things that I learned to do better. Of course, I don’t feel the same situation will happen again. I would say maybe think it through a bit more in the way that, like, I didn’t know how big of a deal it would become.”
Naomi Osaka got a lot of support after opening up about her struggles, with NBA stars like Stephen Curry and Ja Morant showing her some love. However, along with that came criticisms from people who questioned her attitude, with some saying it's part of their job to talk to the media and fans as athletes.
Some people remain critical of Osaka as the No. 3-ranked Women's player admitted that she often received judging looks. Nonetheless, she is learning to adapt and accept that she can't please everyone–and she doesn't have to. The 23-year-old US Open champion also seems to be in a good place mentally after everything that happened.
“I will definitely feel a bit different,” Osaka added. “I don’t really know how to describe it, but I kind of had to get over the feeling of people’s gazes feeling a bit different to me. At the same time I started to tell myself that it is what it is. I did what I did, so I can’t really change people’s perception on me. It might make me feel a little bit nervous. But first rounds always make me feel a little nervous. Maybe I can just attribute it to that. I guess I’ll find out when I’m in that situation.”
The US Open has already started its qualifiers, but the first round will only begin on Monday, August 30. Sure enough, all eyes will be on Osaka as she tries to bounce back and show everyone what she can do.
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