Naomi Osaka mentioned she determined to hunt remedy after her household was involved about her tearful message this month at Indian Wells following a heckling incident.
“I don’t know if I’m allowed to say this, however I lastly began speaking to a therapist after Indian Wells,” Osaka mentioned Wednesday on the Miami Open, after she defeated Astra Sharma in two units to advance to the second spherical.
“It solely took like a 12 months after the French Open [to talk to a therapist],” Osaka mentioned, referencing her withdrawal final Might from Roland Garros to are inclined to her psychological well being.
She additionally skipped Wimbledon final July. On the time, Osaka mentioned she had “suffered lengthy bouts of melancholy” since successful her first Grand Slam title in 2018.
“I notice how useful it's,” Osaka mentioned Wednesday about speaking with a therapist. “I’m glad that I've folks round me that instructed me to go in that course.”
Osaka mentioned she determined to hunt remedy after her sister Mari, a former skilled tennis participant, “appeared very involved for me.”
Osaka was the goal of heckling on the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif., throughout her March 12 match in opposition to Veronika Kudermetova. She turned rattled after a fan yelled, “Naomi, you suck!” and she or he finally went on to lose the match in straight units.
The incident led to Osaka tearfully addressing the group over a microphone afterward, and she or he recalled a previous incident at Indian Wells, when Serena Williams was booed throughout a match in 2001.
Osaka mentioned Wednesday, “I believe for me, the scenario in Indian Wells, I’ve type of thought again on it. I notice I’ve by no means been heckled. I’ve been booed, however not like a direct yell-out type of factor. It type of took me out of my ingredient. I really feel like I’m ready for it now. I used to be type of bracing myself earlier than the match to only know that’s a factor that would occur now. I believe I simply wanted to alter my mindset slightly.”
Final September, Osaka introduced that she was taking a break from tennis “for some time.” She returned to the game in January to compete within the Melbourne Summer season Set.
The four-time main winner later pulled out of her Melbourne Summer season Set semi-final in opposition to Kudermetova, and mentioned on the time that her “physique obtained a shock from enjoying back-to-back intense matches“ after her four-month hiatus.
Osaka will subsequent face Germany’s Angelique Kerber within the second spherical of the Miami Open.
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