PARIS — Naomi Osaka’s decision to withdraw from the French
Open, after revealing her battle with depression and anxiety, has cast a harsh
light on the mental health of the sport’s superstars with one expert even
accusing the media of “voyeurism”.
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The 23-year-old world number two, and four-time major
winner, said she will now take a break from tennis, putting her participation
at Wimbledon and her home Olympics at risk.
Osaka was fined $15,000 and threatened with disqualification
from Roland Garros after she refused to honor mandatory media commitments.
She claims they are detrimental to her mental health and
likened the traditional post-match news conference to “kicking people when
they’re down”.
“There’s a sense of voyeurism around how it presently
works,” wrote Peter Terry, a professor of psychology at the University of
Southern Queensland in Australia on
theconversation.com, on Tuesday.
“Perhaps some want to see athletes crumble and break down
into tears, having put them on a pedestal.
“Osaka is a young, introverted, anxious person. We should by
now understand that sports stars are not super human, that they have the same
doubts and mental health issues as everyone else.”
Terry worked with the WTA for over a decade and sat on a
commission which drew up guidelines to help players avoid burn-out and deal
with pressure when in their mid-teens.
One of the outcomes was ruling how many tournaments a player
could enter before a certain age.
Osaka said her mental health struggles began in 2018 when
she won the first of her four majors at the US Open in a controversial final
against
Serena Williams.
She was just 20, stood awkwardly courtside, covering her
face with her visor.
‘Hard time coping’
“The truth is I have suffered bouts of depression since the
US Open in 2018 and I have had a really hard time coping with that.”
She added: “In Paris, I was already feeling vulnerable and
anxious so I thought it was better to exercise self-care and skip the press
conferences.”
Williams, a veteran of press conferences in a career which
is now in its fourth decade, believes all players should have access to
counselling.
“I think that’s so important to have a sounding board,
whether it’s someone at the WTA or whether it’s someone in your life,” said the
American star.
Terry believes Osaka is right to avoid the spotlight when
she is suffering from depression.
Key is a family support group and, if needed, professional
help.
“The media don’t meet those criteria. So trying to deal with
serious mental health issues in the glare of publicity is next to impossible,”
he wrote.
“There are considerable forces pushing her toward even
greater levels of anxiety. Could you imagine the level of expectations on her
at the Tokyo Olympics?”
If Osaka wanted advice on her next step, she could talk to
fellow professional Rebecca Marino.
The Canadian, a former top 40 player, quit the sport in
2013, citing crippling depression and online abuse.
“Some people wrote to me that I had to die, others insulted
me in a vulgar way,” said Marino who left tennis for four years to pursue other
interests.
“I was too sensitive to everything that was said and written
about me. Instead of avoiding comments, I was constantly looking for them on
social networks and on the internet.”
When Marino returned to Grand Slam tennis in Australia this
year, she offered advice which could now be crucial for Osaka.
“My message is, ‘Just start the communication, just start
talking to someone about what’s going on in your life; reach out, get help’.”
Documented struggles
Osaka’s battle with depression echoes similar struggles of
other athletes in recent years.
Olympic swimming star Michael Phelps, Spanish footballer
Andres Iniesta and England cricketer Marcus Trescothick are just some who have
documented their struggles.
German goalkeeper Robert Enke and American world track
cycling champion Kelly Catlin took their own lives.
“Depression is a word which has a pejorative connotation and
which is poorly understood by the population,” Philippe Godin, a sports
psychologist at the University of Louvain in Belgium, said.
“In sport, you have to show that you are strong, almost
invincible. So it is not compatible with weakness.”
In France, care for the mental health of athletes has
evolved over the past 20 years.
The National Institute of Sport, Expertise and Performance
(Insep) has expanded its team of psychologists.
“We have more and more requests for support from athletes in
terms of psychological and performance support,” Anaelle Malberbe, one of the
five psychologists at Insep, told AFP in December.
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