The cautionary tale in Osaka’s exit

The high-handed world of tennis must open its eyes to the delicate subject of mental health

Naomi Osaka withdrew from the French Open tennis championship after the organisers would not accept her request to be excused from post-match interactions even as she cited a history of suffering from bouts of depression and severe anxiety while facing the media. Indeed, the organisers had imposed a fine of $15,000 after Osaka excused herself from the post-match press conference after her first-round victory. This despite the fact that she had already communicated her concerns about her mental health to the organisers at the beginning of the tournament. They, in turn, threatened her with expulsion if she did not participate in post-match media interactions. Osaka was as gracious in her exit statement as she is in her tennis. She said she did not want to be a distraction to other players because of the continuing controversy. She explained that she had suffered long bouts of depression since the US Open in 2018. “Anyone who knows me knows that I am introverted and anyone that has seen me at tournaments will notice that I’m often wearing headphones as that helps dull my social anxiety,” she said, adding, “I am not a natural public speaker and get huge waves of anxiety before I speak to the world’s media.”