ATHLETICS
Naomi Osaka
Changing Sports’ Approach to Mental Health JUL IA A . W I LSON
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It’s a shame that the Olympic Games and French Open don’t award gold medals for outstanding acts of courage and personal fortitude. If such were the case, Naomi Osaka, one of the world’s top professional tennis players, and U.S. Olympic gymnast Simone Biles, perhaps the best ever at her sport, would both be “Special Keepers of the Gold.” Both athletes received initial criticism and ultimately much praise for bowing out of their respective competitions to manage their mental health.
Osaka’s response led to the USTA announcing on August 25 that it would offer “best-in-class mental health support to players” at the 2021 U.S. Open in New York. For the first time, the Grand Slam tournament offered mental health services and licensed providers to players, as well as “quiet rooms.” In late September, following the U.S. Open, Osaka underscored her commitment to putting her mental health first by announcing that she was taking an indefinite leave from the professional tennis circuit.
Osaka’s abrupt departure from the prestigious tournament in Paris, in a dispute with officials over attendance at press conferences, shocked her fans and cost her $15,000 in United States Tennis Association fines. But the money didn’t matter to her: it was her mental well-being that took priority. Several weeks later, Osaka was confronted by a male sports reporter who opened his interview with the comment, “I know you’re not crazy about talking to us.” Osaka left that press conference in tears and later said, “It’s O.K. not to be O.K.,” calling for mental health days for tennis professionals.
“The issue of mental health awareness has been brought to the forefront over the course of the global pandemic, as many individuals, players included, have struggled with the stresses and emotions that have come as a result of COVID-19,” USTA chief executive and U.S. Open director Stacey Allaster said, according to the Associated Press. Dr. Brian Hainline, USTA’s vice president, added that the group wants to make mental health services “as readily available to athletes as services for a sprained ankle … and with no strings attached.”
RELEVANCE REPORT 2021-22
