“It’s O.K. to not be O.K.,” Naomi Osaka famously wrote in 2021. That year, Osaka courageously declared to the world that she would be stepping away from tennis to take care of her mental health. She shared that since winning her first Grand Slam in 2018, she had been suffering from anxiety and depression.
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Osaka’s decision to withdraw from the 2021 French Open and temporarily step away from tennis left many puzzled at the time. However, many also lauded her for taking the brave decision despite the stigma surrounding mental health issues.
According to Ryan Clark, her choice to prioritize her well-being over competition helped ignite a broader, much-needed conversation about the intense pressures athletes face. It highlighted the significance of mental health and self-care in professional sports.
“I think Naomi Osaka is a very necessary human. As an athlete. Unfortunately, there are these people who go through these things publicly that allow the entire sports world to learn, and she has just been chosen to be that one,” said Clark.
“What she did at the French Open years ago, stepping away and saying, ‘I gotta focus on myself.’ That was groundbreaking,” added the former NFL safety-turned analyst.
Clark then lauded Osaka for her openness in the face of personal struggles. “And then to explain why she did it. You know that by choosing to be open about it, there’s going to be criticism, there’s going to be disappointment, even in explaining it, there’s going to be criticism,” he said.
Osaka welcomed her daughter, Shai, in July 2023, marking the beginning of a deeply meaningful chapter in her life. But it brought challenges, too, as she also underwent postpartum complications due to her “traumatic” birth experience.
Osaka’s struggles continue
Osaka described motherhood as “so fulfilling,” but had also candidly acknowledged the challenges of juggling her return to professional tennis with the demands of being a new mom. She admitted the transition was “tough”.
And, underscoring the critical role of a strong support system, she stated that raising a child truly “takes a village.” Once she returned to the court, Osaka admitted, “I don’t feel like I’m in my body.”
Clark spoke about how Osaka speaking about the challenges of motherhood while being a professional athlete was again important for not just her, but for the whole fraternity.
“And then she had a baby. And I think for female athletes, when you give birth to a child, it’s so much different than it is for us… I think it’s super cool of her to let us see it because so many people hide it,” Clark said on the Pivot podcast.
The former world No. 1 continues to navigate the emotional and physical challenges of her return to tennis.
In May, Osaka was visibly emotional during her media interview after she fell in the first round of the French Open to Spain’s Paula Badosa. Despite a promising start, Osaka’s performance unraveled with 54 unforced errors and five double faults, hindered further by blisters on her hands caused by the clay surface.
Last week, the Japanese player suffered a tough 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 loss to Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova at Wimbledon. It marked yet another early exit for Osaka, who hasn’t advanced past the third round of a Grand Slam since winning her last major title at the Australian Open in January 2021.
After her latest Wimbledon loss, Osaka was candid about her frustration: “Yes, [I feel closer to a deep run], but honestly, right now I’m just really upset. I’m just going to be a negative human being today. I’m so sorry. I have nothing positive to say about myself, which is something I’m working on.”
And acknowledging her struggles takes courage. Clark couldn’t help but admire this innate strength in Osaka.
