Japanese Tennis player Naomi Osaka has thanked the former royal Meghan Markle for her support, while she opened up about her mental health problem. The Tennis player in Time essay titled It's O.K. Not to Be O.K was seen appreciating the influential figures from the society for backing the tough decision of her withdrawal from French Open 2021 due to her mental health. As reported in TIME, she thanked people who encouraged her and offered her support with their kind words.
As published in TIME, she said, “Finally, I want to thank everyone who supported me. There are too many to name, but I want to start with my family and friends, who have been amazing. There is nothing more important than those relationships. I also want to thank those in the public eye who have supported, encouraged and offered such kind words." Further adding the names of the celebrities, Osaka said, “Michelle Obama, Michael Phelps, Steph Curry, Novak Djokovic, Meghan Markle, to name a few.”
Meghan and Prince Harry have been huge advocators of mental health, the two even collaborated with Oprah Winfrey and co-produced a documentary on mental health on Apple TV+ titled, The Me You Can't See. Naomi was the guest on the former royal couple’s Archewell Audio podcast, where the athlete for the first time spoke about her mental health.
Thanking Michael Phelps in particular she said, “Michael Phelps told me that by speaking up I may have saved a life. If that's true, then it was all worth it.” ALSO READ: The Me You Can't See Trailer: Oprah Winfrey And Prince Harry Come Together To Discuss Mental Health; Lady Gaga, Meghan Markle, Others Make An Appearance
For the uninitiated ones, Osaka after winning her first match sets, refused to take part in a press conference and faced repercussions such as she was fined fined USD 15,000 and also threatened to face exclusion. Followed by Naomi taking a step back from the tournament due to her mental health issue; now she after she skipped Wimbledon in 2021, she will participate in Tokyo Olympics to kick start from July 23. She also revealed thatshe won’t be holding a press interaction during Roland Garros in order to take care of her mental health. ALSO READ: Prince Harry Says He ‘Will Never Walk Away’ From The Royal Family; Reveals ‘We All Know What The British Press Can Be Like, It Was Destroying My Mental Health'
Image Source: Instagram/naomiosaka/janina