Retired athletes on Saturday voiced their help for four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka after she stated she would take a break from tennis after shedding her enthusiasm for the competitors.
The world quantity three suffered a crushing defeat within the third spherical of the US Open on Friday and advised reporters earlier that she was planning to take an indefinite break from the sport.
Naomi Osaka Says “I Honestly Don’t Know When I’ll Play My Next Tennis Match” After Third Round Loss #US Open:
“I think I’m going to take a break from playing for a while,” she added by way of tears.
It’s arduous to see. I hope everybody can present some kindness. pic.twitter.com/TsXmiWwzEQ
— Meredith Cash (@mercash22) September 4, 2021
“I think for me lately, like, I don’t feel happy when I win. I feel like a relief,” Osaka stated months after publicly revealing that she was affected by despair. .
“Take all the time to recover, rest and recover, @naomiosaka,” 12-time Grand Slam singles champion Billie Jean King wrote on Twitter on Saturday. “Sending you love and support.”
Take on a regular basis wanted to get well, relaxation and heal, @naomiosaka.
Sending you like and help.
— Billie Jean King (@BillieJeanKing) September 4, 2021
Retired American tennis professional James Blake applauded his choice. “Please do what’s best for you @naomiosaka,” he tweeted on Saturday. “We want to see you again in exceptional tennis, but more importantly, we want to see you happy.”
Six-time Grand Slam winner Boris Becker replied to Blake in a retweet: “That’s right.”
This is true https://t.co/j7E6KoJA3h
— boris baker (@TheBorisBecker) September 4, 2021
The 23-year-old has sparked a brand new dialog about psychological well being in skilled sport after being dominated out of the French Open amid public controversy over a compulsory Grand Slam press convention, saying that they had a big impact on his psychological well-being. .
Osaka’s affect extends far past the courtroom, as she introduced the Black Lives Matter protests to tennis’ worldwide stage a 12 months earlier, turning into a distinguished determine for athlete advocacy within the course of.
“Good decision. Young, trying to understand life, how to win consistently, and tough as a huge celebrity athlete! Trying to be a change maker too. Exponentially difficult!” Four instances Olympic gold medalist sprinter Michael Johnson wrote on Twitter.
“If ever an athlete needed to walk away, this is it.”
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With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
