Naomi Osaka is one of the most prominent young stars in tennis and the highest paid female athlete in the world. Despite the misbelief that certain people, particularly wealthy and successful ones, are immune to mental health struggles, Osaka revealed she has been living with depression.
To protect her mental health, Osaka announced last week she would not "do any press" during the French Open. She was fined $15,000, threatened with harsher penalties and eventually withdrew from the tournament.
Fingers have been pointed in nearly every direction. Many elite athletes and sports journalists have weighed in on her decision, some more sympathetic than others.
Some argue Osaka should have been upfront about her depression and gone directly to French Open officials rather than announce her decision on social media. Others have said tennis officials should have kept their views private, so not to create more media attention for an athlete who has said she is struggling with media scrutiny. Others argue the media should be held accountable. Sports journalist Julie DiCaro told NPR the media was somewhat culpable and could stand to make space for athletes of color to question the merits of rules that take a greater toll on them than on their white counterparts.
For all the story's complexities, and for all the public still does not know about Osaka's health and the communication between her and tennis officials, psychologists say Osaka should be lauded for speaking openly about her mental health in a culture still skeptical of wounds it cannot see, for asserting boundaries to keep herself safe even at cost to her career, and for challenging her sport, the media and the public to rethink what we demand of athletes.