Naomi Osaka shocked the world of tennis at the Roland Garros 2021 when she decided not to attend the press conference due to her mental health, and therefore she was not ready to face questions from reporters. “The organizers ignore the athletes’ mental health,” she said in an interview before the tournament to justify her decision.
After this period, the Japanese had decided to take a break to recharge the batteries due to the fact that she had suffered from depression and panic attacks after winning her first Slam. The 2022 of the Japanese was therefore far from interviews and spotlights with the tennis player who partially climbed the slope of the ranking to 42nd position.
Naomi Osaka, after a long time, is back to talk and did it on the program The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. She said: “I felt it was necessary, but at the time I felt a little embarrassed because as an athlete they tell you to be strong and overcome everything, but I think I’ve learned that it’s better to regroup and adapt the sensations you have in that moment so I can come back stronger.
I couldn’t have wished for anything else because I learned a lot in that time.”
“Kobe Bryant’s death affected Naomi Osaka’s tennis,” said top coach
Wim Fissetteformer Naomi Osaka’s coach, talked about the difficult moment that the Japanese star is going through, from the Roland Garros 2021 to today.
According to Fissette, Naomi would have gone through a dark phase after the tragic death of her idol, Kobe Bryanta death that would have also influenced her performances during the tournaments of the last two seasons. Fissette said: “It was very difficult.
But then I think four or five days later, we saw her in Spain. And it was, it was a really difficult moment. Because she was very emotional and going through. Probably the most difficult moment part of her life. On the court, she really couldn’t play well, because she was just too emotional.
It was an important time to really talk to her and open up a conversation about how she was feeling and how she was coping with certain things. And how certain things influenced it. Yeah, and from then on we felt like we were a real team and we all felt free to talk to each other very openly.”