Why Naomi Osaka Prioritizing Her Mental Health is Inspiring to Us All

Although one out of every five people experience mental illness every year, according to the National Alliance of Mental Illness, the prioritization of self-care is often pushed to the back burner. Japanese-American tennis star Naomi Osaka inspired the world to prioritize their mental health by unapologetically prioritizing her own.

When the four-time Grand Slam tournament winner announced that she would not be participating in the required post-match news conferences to protect her mental health, she reignited an old conversation about the relationship between reporters and athletes. In a Twitter post, she discussed how she oftentimes felt like there was “no regard for athletes mental health” and would no longer subject herself to people who doubt her. 

"We're often sat there and asked questions that we've been asked multiple times before or asked questions that bring doubt into our minds and I'm just not going to subject myself to people that doubt me,” she wrote.

The French Open fined her $15,000 for not participating in the press conference after her first win with the threat of suspension. Shortly after, Osaka announced that she would be withdrawing from the French Open, so that the focus could be turned back on the tennis games taking place in Paris. She opened up about her long bouts with depression and huge waves of anxiety. 

“The truth is that I have suffered long bouts of depression since the US Open in 2018 and I have a really hard time coping with that,” 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.”

Osaka continues to prioritize her mental health. A recently released statement from her agent announced that the 23-year-old withdrew from Wimbledon to take personal time with her family and friends. While she is not going to be playing at Wimbledon, she assured fans that she will be participating in the Tokyo Olympics. 

Athletes, actors and other prominent figures, such as Stephen Curry, Serena Williams, Taraji P. Henson, Ava DuVernay, Jada Pinkett Smith, rallied behind Osaka’s decisions. In an interview with Access Hollywood, Henson expressed that the backlash and the refusal to give Osaka the space to take care of herself is not fair, healthy or right. 

“She’s taking care of herself. Why is that an issue? Why are we speaking on it? We should give her the space to do that,” Henson said. “These are real emotions that all humans feel, but … I am not allowed to tap into those natural feelings that come up. That’s not fair.”

Too often mental health is pushed to the background and disregarded. Osaka made a decision to prioritize her mental health and not struggle in silence. She made a decision that sparked a needed conversation about how athletes are being treated. By choosing herself despite all of the negative feedback and backlash that she received, Osaka showed the world the importance of prioritizing mental health and inspired everyone to do the same.