Standing with Naomi Osaka

In recent days, Japanese Professional Tennis Player Naomi Osaka has been in the news.  Normally, the news is about her competitive tennis playing, the fact that she has been ranked #1 according to the Women’s Tennis Association and is the first Asian player to hold the top ranking in singles. She is a four-time Grand Slam singles champion and is the reigning champion at the US Open and the Australian Open.

But the story has not been about her incredible skill as a world champion tennis player. Naomi, like many professional athletes, suffers from mental illness.   She revealed that she has experienced depression and anxiety since winning her first major at the 2018 US Open and explained that speaking to the media often triggers episodes of anxiety.  According to a tweet made by Naomi, “anyone who has seen me at tournaments will notice that I’m often wearing headphones as they dull my social anxiety.” Because of this condition, Naomi has chosen to take care of herself by withdrawing from the French Open.

Family Service of Glencoe stands with Naomi, and all those suffering from any form of mental illness.  Naomi’s courage to speak out in advocating for herself and others is another step forward in the fight to eliminate stigma associated with this disease.  Naomi is among several elite athletes such as Michael Phelps and Kevin Love, who have been open about their struggles with mental illness and hoping more athletes will do the same.  

The need for mental health services is stronger than ever and FSG is here to help.