Celebs and Athletes Rally Around Naomi Osaka After She Withdraws From the French Open to Focus on Self-Care
Stars are rallying around Naomi Osaka after she withdrew from the French Open following her decision not to participate in post-game press conferences due to her anxiety (which resulted in a $15,000 fine).
“Hey everyone, this isn’t a situation I ever imagined or intended when I posted a few days ago. I think now the best thing for the tournament, the other players, and my well-being is that I withdraw so that everyone can get back to focusing on the tennis going on in Paris,” Naomi wrote in a social media statement. “I never wanted to be a distraction and I accept that my timing was not ideal and my message could have been clearer. More importantly, I would never trivialize mental health or use the term lightly.”
Naomi continued, “The truth is that I have suffered long bouts of depression since the U.S. Open in 2018 and I have had a really hard time coping with that. Anyone that knows me knows I’m introverted, and anyone that has seen me at the tournaments will notice that I’m often wearing headphones as that helps dull my social anxiety. Though the tennis press has always been kind to me (and I wanna apologize especially 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 explained that skipping this tournament’s press conferences was important to her self-care because she was already feeling anxious, saying, “I announced it preemptively because I do feel the rules are quite outdated in parts and wanted to highlight that. I wrote privately to the tournament apologizing and saying that I would be more than happy to speak with them after the tournament as the Slams are intense. I’m gonna take some time away from the court now, but when the time is right, I really want to work with the Tour to discuss ways we can make things better for the players, press, and fans. Anyways, hope you are all doing well and staying safe, love you guys, I’ll see you when I see you.”
Several fellow athletes have spoke out in support of Naomi. Tennis champs Martina Navratilova and Billie Jean King both tweeted words of encouragement:
Russell Wilson retweeted Naomi’s statement applauding her courage:
And Laurie Hernandez said she was proud of Naomi for putting her foot down:
Serena Williams also spoke out in a post-match press conference, saying, per the Associated Press, “I feel for Naomi” and “you just have to let her handle it the way she wants to and the best way she thinks she can. That’s the only thing I can say: I think she is doing the best she can.”
Meanwhile, Naomi’s Instagram post is full of supportive comments, including from Venus Williams, who wrote, “So proud of you. Take care of yourself and see you back winning soon!”
You Might Also Like