Naomi Osaka is one of tennis’s biggest and brightest stars of the future, and her announcement on Monday that she was withdrawing from the French Open and is taking a leave of absence from the sport sent ripples through the community. The announcement on social media came off the heels of the news that the 23-year-old was fined $15,000 by the French Open — and warned of possible future consequences — for missing mandatory media availability just days after Osaka announced she would not be speaking to the press at the event.
In Osaka’s announcement on Monday, the No. 2 ranked women’s tennis player detailed her struggles with mental health and depression since rising to fame after her 2018 U.S. Open victory. Osaka stated that she “never wanted to be a distraction” and that she was set to “take some time away from the court” with no set date for her return.
Tennis fans — and sports fans overall — rallied around Osaka’s open and honest announcement, lauding the 23-year-old for bringing mental health to the forefront of the conversation.
