Athletes, players supporting Naomi Osaka: Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka took to her Twitter handle May 31 to announce that she has withdrawn from the French Open. She gave her statement a day after skipping a post-match press conference for which she was fined $15,000.
Osaka has been battling mental health issues since 2018 and she did not want her stance of boycotting the media to become a distraction. Japanese sponsors, top brands and fellow world athletes have raised their voices in support of the 23-year-old who spoke up about the neglect of sportspersons' mental health during press meets. Read an opinion here.
"Though the tennis press has always been kind to me (and I wanna apologize to all the cool journalists who I may have hurt), I am not a natural public speaker and get huge waves of anxiety before I speak to the world’s media. I get really nervous and find it stressful to always try to engage and give you the best answers I can," she said in her statement.
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Here are 8 tennis players supporting Naomi Osaka:
1. Serena Williams
Serena Williams, talking to reporters, was quoted saying, "The only thing I feel is that I feel for Naomi. I feel like I wish I could give her a hug because I know what it's like". Williams then continued to say that not everyone is the same. She is thick (skinned) while others are thin.
The player thought people should let Osaka handle the situation on her own. She expressed that it was important for players to have someone as a "sounding board" in tough times and ask for help whenever needed.
2. Novak Djokovic
On June 1, Novak Djokovic hailed Osaka as "brave and bold" for taking the step. He said, "I support her. I think she was very brave to do that. I'm really sorry that she is going through painful times and suffering mentally". He added that in his opinion, if she needs time to reflect and recharge, that is what she should do and he respects it fully.
"I hope that she'll come back stronger," he said.
3. Martina Navratilova
18-times Grand Slam champion, Martina Navratilova tweeted that she was sad about Naomi Osaka and truly hoped that she would be okay.
"As athletes we are taught to take care of our body, & perhaps the mental and emotional aspect gets short shift. This is more than doing or not doing a press conference. Good luck Naomi-we are all pulling for you!" she said.
4. Coco Gauff
Coco Gauff said that she hoped Osaka would come out better and stronger. "It's unfortunate that she's going through what she's going through," she said and added that she can only lend out a hand of support.
She talked to other players too and got to know that they too have gone through similar experiences in the past. Gauff also replied to Osaka's tweet with, "Stay strong. I admire your vulnerability".
5. Sloane Stephens
Offering her support to Naomi Osaka, Sloane Stephens said, "We should be more accepting and allow her to take the time she needs to work on herself so she can be in a better position to play tennis and be happy and enjoy her tennis".
She added that feelings are real and we're all humans so she hopes that Osaka takes the time she needs and concluded her statement saying that she hoped to see the player get back to winning.
6. Misaki Doi
Misaki Doi, a fellow Japanese player, expressed her surprise on learning about the athlete's withdrawal. She said to reporters, "I can't imagine what she's been going through, but I hope she doesn't regret her decision". She added that although it is unpleasant to attend a press conference after a defeat, it allows players to switch over toward the next match and she considers it a part of her job.
7. Yoshihito Nishioka
Yoshihito Nishioka, who won his opening match in the men's singles said that it was sad to see Naomi-chan withdraw. "I wanted to see her compete despite the hardships involved," he was quoted saying. In 2020, Nishioka ranked world number 48 in tennis ATP singles ranking.
8. Venus Williams
Seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams took to her Instagram handle to extend her support to Naomi Osaka. She wrote, "So proud of you. Take care of yourself and see you back winning soon!"
During a press conference following her match on Tuesday, Williams served another round of reaction to the Osaka episode, this time a more searing one. "For me personally, how I cope, how I deal with it, was that I know every single person asking me a question can’t play as well as I can and never will. So no matter what you say, or what you write, you’ll never light a candle to me," she said.
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