Naomi Osaka withdrew from the French Open 2021. Since then, there has been a constant echo about the mental health of the players. Top athletes including, Serena Williams and Chris Evert, have acknowledged the issue. Chris Evert, last year, talked about the issues relating to her struggle during her active years.
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Moreover, she also highlighted her struggle when there wasn’t any awareness about the issue. The American player emphasized the growing surveillance by the media in recent times.
Chris Evert talked about mental health and the increasing presence of media after Osaka’s withdrawal
Chris Evert pondered after the issue came into the limelight as to how she also dealt with difficult times after her defeats. She said, “Sometimes, I didn’t come out of my hotel room for two days.” Evert knew that she was suffering but did not have the means to address it as there was not much focus on mental health.
She said, “There was depression, but it wasn’t labeled back then. We didn’t know what it was.” She narrated what people thought it was, “Oh, Chrissie’s taking her losses hard.”
With the rise in the popularity of the players, there are more eyes on them too. The media keeps an eye on the daily activities of the players which according to Evert was intrusive. She said, “In my day and age, they weren’t camping out on your lawn”. Furthermore, she added, “If you went to a restaurant, you’d get your picture taken, but it wasn’t as intrusive.”
How is Naomi Osaka doing at the moment?
Four-time grand slam winner did not have a great start to 2022. Moving on, Naomi Osaka managed to reach the finals of the Miami Open, however, the incumbent world no. 1 Iga Swiatek defeated the Japanese player.
USA Today via Reuters
Mar 24, 2022; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Naomi Osaka (JPN) serves against Angelique Kerber (GER) (not pictured) in a second round women’s singles match in the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Besides that, she suffered an Achilles injury which hindered her game at the French Open, and ulitimately, suffered a harsh blow in the first round itself. Due to the prevailing injury, she decided to withdraw from the grass-court major at Wimbledon.
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The player is focusing on her recovery. Moreover, she has decided to take a wild card entry at the San Jose tournament in California.
Written by
Edited by
Deepakshi Chaudhary