Discriminating against Naomi Osaka because of her mental health
Naomi Osaka withdrew from the French Open on May 31, 2021, saying she needed to “take some time away from the court” after being fined for not attending a press conference following her tennis match. French Open officials threatened her with even harsher sanctions if she continued missing the mandatory press conferences after matches.
Osaka acknowledged that she struggles with both depression and anxiety. Anxiety is the most common mental health issue in the U.S., experienced by millions of Americans. Depression is not far behind in being commonly diagnosed and treated. Both are serious, oftentimes debilitating mental illnesses that can affect anyone, regardless of age, race, or gender, or the status of their career, relationship, access to resources, or class.
Discrimination against those with mental illness is still all too-common throughout society. The French Open officials who fined Osaka without understanding the mental health issues she’s facing are just symptomatic of the prejudice and discrimination people with mental illness face on a daily basis.
Tennis is a physical sport, so it’s common to focus on the physical aspects of the competition. But like any competitive sport, there is an important emotional and psychological aspect to it. People who enter competitive sports and…
