Tennis news - 'I don't wish that on anyone' - Naomi Osaka pleads for 'privacy and empathy' ahead of return
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Updated 08/07/2021 at 19:47 GMT
"I felt under a great amount of pressure to disclose my symptoms—frankly because the press and the tournament did not believe me," Naomi Osaka wrote in a Time Magazine column. "I do not wish that on anyone and hope that we can enact measures to protect athletes, especially the fragile ones. I also do not want to have to engage in a scrutiny of my personal medical history ever again."
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Naomi Osaka has asked for "privacy" and "empathy" when she returns to the tennis scene after having withdrawn from the French Open on account of mental health concerns.
Osaka was true to her pre-tournament words as she failed to attend the post-match press conference after her first-round win in Paris. That prompted a strong response from the four Grand Slam bodies, as they said she could face bans from events in future for refusing to speak to the press.
In what was then a huge shock, the Japanese superstar announced that she had withdrawn from the tournament ahead of her second-round match at Roland Garros.
A month later, in a column published in Time Magazine, Osaka has explained why she felt it necessary to skip the media commitments and why she felt it was so important to do so.
"I communicated that I wanted to skip press conferences at Roland Garros to exercise self-care and preservation of my mental health," Osaka wrote in the Time article. "I stand by that. Athletes are humans. Tennis is our privileged profession, and of course there are commitments off the court that coincide.
"But I can’t imagine another profession where a consistent attendance record (I have missed one press conference in my seven years on tour) would be so harshly scrutinised. Perhaps we should give athletes the right to take a mental break from media scrutiny on a rare occasion without being subject to strict sanctions.
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"In any other line of work, you would be forgiven for taking a personal day here and there, so long as it’s not habitual. You wouldn’t have to divulge your most personal symptoms to your employer; there would likely be HR measures protecting at least some level of privacy.
"In my case, I felt under a great amount of pressure to disclose my symptoms—frankly because the press and the tournament did not believe me. I do not wish that on anyone and hope that we can enact measures to protect athletes, especially the fragile ones. I also do not want to have to engage in a scrutiny of my personal medical history ever again.
So I ask the press for some level of privacy and empathy next time we meet.
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"There can be moments for any of us where we are dealing with issues behind the scenes. Each of us as humans is going through something on some level. I have numerous suggestions to offer the tennis hierarchy, but my No. 1 suggestion would be to allow 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.
"Finally, I want to thank everyone who supported me. There are too many to name, but I want to start with my family and friends, who have been amazing. There is nothing more important than those relationships. I also want to thank those in the public eye who have supported, encouraged and offered such kind words."
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