Iconic Moment of the Week: Naomi Osaka
- rebeccamctear
- Jun 3, 2021
- 2 min read
Updated: Jun 24, 2021
Earlier this week, Naomi Osaka, the second-ranked women's tennis player in the world, withdrew from the French Open.
At the start of the tournament, Osaka released a statement on her Instagram explaining that she would be skipping press conferences during the French Open to prioritizes her mental health.
Osaka has bravely revealed to the public that she has had struggled with waves of anxiety and depression. She wrote, "So here in Paris I was already feeling vulnerable and anxious so I thought it was better to exercise self‑care and skip the press conferences. I announced it preemptively because I do feel like the rules are quite outdated in parts and I wanted to highlight that."
"Anyone that knows me I'm introverted," said Osaka in her Instagram statement, "and anyone that has seen me at the tournaments will notice that I'm often wearing headphones as that helps dull my social anxiety.
The French Tennis Federation fined Osaka $15,000 (a fine she expected to receive and was ready to pay) after skipping press events around her first-round win. The tournament doubled down on the fine. A statement signed by the four grand slam tournament heads said if Osaka continued to skip her press events, it would lead to more fines and possible suspension from future tournaments.
In 2020, U.S. Open, Osaka used her masks to make a statement by wearing the names of black people killed by the police. She hoped to shape the conversation about Black Lives Matter in a white-dominated sport. Osaka went on to win the U.S. Open.
The French Open pushing out one of the world's biggest tennis stars is a loss for everyone. In recent years, one of my favorite tennis moments was when Osaka beat rising star Coco Gauff in the 2019 U.S. Open. Instead of taking the spotlight for herself, Osaka asked Coco to stay on the court for the post-match interview. It was a moment that highlighted Osaka's sportsmanship and the bright future of women's tennis.
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