Naomi Osaka is a known introvert but the tennis star has revealed that she has started seeing a psychologist following advice from her family and coach.
The former world No.1 confirmed for the first time that she has begun to see a therapist following her first round win at the Miami Open on Wednesday. In recent months Osaka has spoken openly about her personal struggles with mental health and had previously taken time away from the sport due to those issues. It was during the 2021 French Open where she spoke about her battle with depression and social anxiety for the first time. She says she has been coping with those issues since 2018.
“I don’t know if I’m allowed to say this, but I finally started talking to a therapist after Indian Wells. It only took like a year after French Open,” Osaka told reporters. “Yeah, I don’t know, she kind of like told me strategies and stuff. I realize how helpful it is.”
Osaka’s decision to seek professional help was aided by advice from her sister Mari, who is a former player herself. Mari reached a ranking high of 280th during her career before stepping away from the sport at the age of 24. Furthermore, Osaka’s coach Wim Fissette explained to her that such a move is similar to hiring a fitness trainer in one respect.
“Honestly because my sister kind of, like, seemed very concerned for me,” she said. “I don’t know. Like I feel like I’ve been trying a lot of different things because I tend to internalize things, and I also want to do everything by myself. Wim kind of put it in a really good way. He was like, You hire a coach for tennis, for fitness. The mind is such a big thing. If you can, like, get a professional to help you out .5 percent, that alone is worth it.”
Earlier this month there was fresh concerns about Osaka following a heckling incident which occurred during her first round match against Veronika Kudermetova at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. A member of the crowd was heard shouting ‘Naomi, you suck!’ at the tennis star which visibly upset her. Osaka started to cry and spoke to the supervisor multiple times before losing in straight sets. She said afterwards that the incident reminded her of what happened to the Williams sisters at the same tournament more than a decade ago. Serena and Venus Williams boycotted the event for years after being subjected to severe heckling by the crowd following unsubstantiated allegations that they fixed their semi-final match which Venus withdrew from due to injury.
Looking back on her own experience, Osaka says she has learned from it and admits she needs to ‘change her mindset’ should something similar happen again in the future.
“I think for me the situation in Indian Wells, I’ve kind of thought back on it,” she said. “I realize, like, I’ve never been heckled. I’ve been booed, but not like a direct yell-out kind of thing. It kind of took me out of my element. I feel like I’m prepared for it now. I was kind of bracing myself before the match to just like know that’s a thing that could happen now.
“Yeah, I think I just needed to change my mindset a little.”
At the Miami Open Osaka will play Germany’s Angelique Kerber in the second round.
