Naomi Osaka was honored last month alongside Olympic runner Alyson Felix and U.S. Women’s Volleyball player Jordan Larson by the Women’s Sports Foundation. Larson and Felix earned the Sportswomen of the Year title while the tennis standout was awarded the Wilma Rudolph Courage Award. “I got the courage to speak out, growing up and seeing all the people around me doing amazing things and not having any fear and standing up for what they believe in,” Osaka told press at the event, according to Tennis World USA.
“What I would like to say to all the young girls watching tonight, try your best every day, you’ll never know where that’s going to take you,” Osaka said. “I would consider it a game and maybe you’ll be sitting where I’m sitting in a couple of years and I can’t wait to see that.”ย
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Osaka earned the Courage award for her contributions in raising awareness on mental health and social justice issues. Osaka was scrutinized earlier this year for her decision to withdraw from Roland Garros after receiving a $15,000 fine for not participating in a news conference after her win. She cited her reason as mental health issues at the time. She then went on to withdraw from Wimbledon. “I communicated that I wanted to skip press conferences at Roland Garros to exercise self-care and preservation of my mental health,” she wrote, per USA Today. “I stand by that. Athletes are humans. Tennis is our privileged profession, and of course there are commitments. off the court that coincide. But I can’t imagine another profession where a consistent attendance record (I have missed one press conference in my seven years on tour) would be so harshly scrutinized.
“I have numerous suggestions to offer the tennis hierarchy, but my No. 1 suggestion would be to allow a small number of ‘sick days’ per year where you are excused from your press commitments without having to disclose your personal reasons. I believe this would bring sport in line with the rest of society.”
Her decision prompted an outpour. of support from others in the tennis world, including former world No. 1 Andy Roddick. “Are you going to tell me that Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka, when they enter their favorite stadium, are not mentally strong? Stop for a bit,” he said, adding, “mental toughness is sitting down for a press conference and being good at it? It’s not mental toughness. Going the distance in matches, winning Grand Slam tournaments, winning gold medals, when the pressure is on, that’s mental toughness. It’s not a synonym for mental health. Let’s be clear about this.”
