Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka shocked everyone when she publically spoke about her mental health issues. The 24-year-old opted out of the French Open midway through last year. While other tennis players lauded Osaka for her brave decision, a section of fans was not happy with it. After her withdrawal from the French Open, Osaka’s pre-shot fashion magazine covers came out.

This led to the Japanese receiving online abuse from the fans. Here’s what Osaka said about it.

Naomi Osaka on online hate

After pulling out of the French Open 2021, Osaka’s pre-shot magazine cover pics were out, and it made the fans furious. However, instead of justifying the situation, Osaka ignored it. Speaking about it in a recent podcast, the 24-year-old said, “It made me not care anymore what people had to say. Like after that I just deleted Twitter, I deleted Instagram, and I was like, you know what these aren’t real people. They know me but I don’t know them, so the opinion is on there, but it’s not affecting me anymore.”

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While the fans must not have understood the situation, it was really unfair to call out an athlete for decisions she makes in her personal life. This also shows how mental health issues are judged in society.

Nick Kyrgios praises Osaka

Australian tennis ace Nick Kyrgios was full of praise for the 24-year-old Japanese. Speaking about mental health challenges, he lauded Osaka for setting the trend. What Osaka did last year was a first-of-its-kind public acceptance of mental health issues.

The 27-year-old revealed that he was struggling and was not sure if it was ok to feel that way. However, when he met Osaka, the discussion with her helped him a lot. Further, he lauded Osaka for her brave move to opt-out of the French Open.

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After the covid-19 pandemic, people have become more vocal about mental health issues. While Osaka set the trend, many athletes followed her. However, the way fans treated Osaka’s withdrawal, there’s a long way for us to go.