Naomi Osaka says Novak Djokovic, Michelle Obama amongst those that supplied assist after French Open exit

Naomi Osaka says former US first girl Michelle Obama and sports activities stars Novak Djokovic, Michael Phelps and Stephen Curry had been amongst those that reached out to supply assist after she withdrew from the French Open to take a psychological well being break.

In an essay in Time journal’s Olympic preview situation, on sale Friday, Osaka – a four-time Grand Slam champion and former No. 1-ranked participant – wrote that she hopes “we can enact measures to protect athletes, especially the fragile ones,” and suggests they be allowed to typically skip media obligations with out punishment.”There can be moments for any of us where we are dealing with issues behind the scenes,” the 23-year-old Osaka stated. “Each of us as humans is going through something on some level.”She stated earlier than the French Open started that she wouldn’t communicate to the media throughout that event, saying these interactions had been typically uncomfortable and would create doubts for her on the court docket. After her first-round victory in Paris, Osaka was fined USD 15,000 for skipping her necessary information convention and threatened by the 4 Grand Slam tournaments with the potential of disqualification or suspension if she continued to keep away from the media.Osaka then pulled out of that event, saying she offers with nervousness earlier than information conferences and has skilled bouts of despair in recent times.”Believe it or not, I am naturally introverted and do not court the spotlight,” she wrote for Time. “I always try to push myself to speak up for what I believe to be right, but that often comes at a cost of great anxiety.”She hasn’t performed since Paris, additionally sitting out Wimbledon, which ends Sunday.She will return to competitors on the Tokyo Olympics, which open July 23, and the place she is going to characterize her native Japan.”It has become apparent to me that literally everyone either suffers from issues related to their mental health or knows someone who does,” Osaka wrote in her essay, including later: “I do hope that people can relate and understand it’s OK to not be OK, and it’s OK to talk about it.”On the subject of reports conferences, Osaka stated she thinks the “format itself is out of date and in great need of a refresh.”She additionally proposed giving tennis gamers “a small number of ‘sick days’ per year, where you are excused from your press commitments without having to disclose your personal reasons. I believe this would bring sport in line with the rest of society.”