Tennis star Naomi Osaka reflects on why she is speaking out about her mental health.
When tennis star Naomi Osaka withdrew from the French Open in May 2021 to protect your mental healththe move rocked the tennis world and put mental health in the spotlight.
As Osaka, then 23 years old and the No. 2 player in the world, walked away from the Grand Slam event at the top of her game, she shared her struggles with depression and anxiety with her fans. The move was unprecedented in the sport and deeply relatable to many.
“The truth is that I have suffered long bouts of depression since the US Open in 2018 and I have had a hard time coping with that,” he wrote on Instagram at the time.
“I think it is now in the best interest of the tournament, the other players and my well-being that I retire so that everyone can refocus on tennis in Paris,” Osaka wrote. “I never meant to be a distraction and I accept that my timing was not ideal and my message could have been clearer. More importantly, I would never trivialize mental health or use the term lightly.”
Osaka, who has returned to competitive tennis, most recently competing at the Australian Open, now reflects on that moment and why she chose to speak out about her mental health.
“It was important for me to be public because… I think it gives me clarity,” Osaka, 24, said in a interview with “Good Morning America”. “Just saying out loud that I’m going to take a break and come back when I’m truly in love with the sport and know what I want to do here, it gave me time to reset.”
Journaling has become a regular part of her self-care routine, she said.
“Lately, I’ve been writing in my journal and I think that keeps my thoughts in order,” he said. “I feel like it gives me clarity about what I want to do and what I want to achieve.”
Osaka said her ambitions extend beyond court to be a businesswoman and founder of KINLÒ, a beauty brand designed for melanin-rich skin. The company launched in September 2021 with natural skincare and sunscreen products.
“KINLÒ was made for people with melanized skin,” he said. “Because we found there weren’t a lot of sunscreen products available to them.”
Osaka said that she hopes that through KINLÒ she can raise awareness that skin cancer affects people of all skin tones and help everyone embrace their beauty and health inside and out. His idea of beauty focuses on celebrating our individuality with our skincare needs and rituals.
“I think for me, beauty is a singularity,” he said. “Just embracing your uniqueness and your individuality is what makes you beautiful to me.”
