Naomi Osaka had shocked the tennis world when she withdrew from the 2021 French Open after boycotting post-match press duties. One year the sport is addressing the mental toll on athletes.
Naomi Osaka had shocked the tennis world when she withdrew from the 2021 French Open after boycotting post-match press duties. One year the sport is addressing the mental toll on athletes.
The mental toll of professional tennis will be in the spotlight when the curtain rises at Roland Garros next week, a year after four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka sparked a new debate about the mental health of athletes. .
The former world number one shocked the tennis world when walked off the clay court after boycotting post-match media dutiesprompting a row with tournament officials.
The Japanese player revealed that she had been suffering from depression for nearly three years, causing a domino effect as top athletes like Olympic gymnast great Simone Biles focused on her well-being.
The saga also highlighted the post-match media mandates of major tennis leagues, as organizers of Roland-Garros. acknowledged that they could “do better” about mental health.
Osaka did not respond to a request for comment this week.
Ready to address concerns
Tournament director Amelie Mauresmo told reporters in March that organizers were preparing “even weeks before” the tournament to ensure they were up to the challenge.
“We already see that emotions are very, very difficult for some players to manage,” he said.
Mauresmo, a former world number one and two-time Grand Slam winner, said she would be the first person to address player complaints and had been in contact with the Osaka team.
“We’re really prepared for what may or may not come from this side of the mental health part for this year,” he added.
Media Obligations
Additional measures have been put in place to ease the burden of media obligations. Organizers plan to host mixed zones for players who haven’t been specifically requested for press conferences, and will reportedly instruct moderators to step in if questions get repetitive.
The Osaka stand a year ago sent organizers and brands scrambling to better support their athletes, but progress has been incremental.
The United States Tennis Association (USTA) announced a mental health initiative ahead of the US Open in August, but saw a tearful Osaka announce a brief hiatus from the sport after confessing that winning no longer it brought him happiness.
Calls for discussion on the mental cost
Last month, former world number one Chris Evert called for discussion of the mental toll of the sport, after German Alexander Zverev was ejected from a tournament in Acapulco for repeatedly breaking his racket against the umpire’s chair and Australian Nick Kyrgios was fined for outbursts in Indian Wells. .
Daria Abramowicz, ASICS EMEA Mental Wellbeing Advisor and Performance and High Performance Sports Psychologist to World Number One Iga Swiatek, said that mental health has taken on a huge role in the lives of athletes.
“It’s always crucial that a player starts to work on himself … as an individual, taking care of, you know, the social support network, having the opportunity to get some support from experts in terms of mental health.” she told Reuters.
ASICS EMEA announced last week that it would fund mental health support as part of new and existing athlete contracts.
“This generation of athletes, and I think women in particular, talk a lot about mental health and its role in terms of overall well-being,” Abramowicz said.
“It’s absolutely crucial.”
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