Tennis star Naomi Osaka has shared her views on her French Open withdrawal due to mental health reasons and said that the traditional format of press conferences should perhaps be changed, in an essay for Time magazine.
The 23-year-old set off a debate recently about mental health after ending her French Open campaign just one match in, over a dispute on media duties.
The Japanese player had said in a statement before the tournament that she won’t post-match news conferences as they were detrimental to her mental health and likened them to “kicking people when they’re down”. She later revealed her battle with depression and anxiety in a post on social media, saying she wanted to take time away from the game to get better.
Naomi Osaka withdraws from French Open: What can tennis learn?
In her essay, titled It’s O.K. Not to Be O.K, she has explained the reasoning behind her actions, which she admitted confused some, and the lessons she has learned.
“Lesson one: you…