Seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton has come out in defence of world No 2 tennis player Naomi Osaka, who withdrew from the French Open after she refused to do post-match press conferences.
Hamilton, who has also recently opened up about his own mental health struggles, posted on his social media in defence of Osaka, urging his followers to make sure she knows she’s not alone.
“We are only human beings,” wrote Hamilton on Twitter.
“Mental health is not a joke, this is real and serious. This takes a lot of courage to do. Let’s all make sure Naomi knows she’s not alone.
“Today is a good day to check and ask your friends and loved ones how they are doing and let them know they are not alone.
“A simple text can go a long way.”
Osaka has received support from her country Japan, her sponsors, leading sporting figures and tennis fans since she announced her decision.
The four Grand Slam tournaments released a statement on Tuesday commending Osaka for sharing her experience and promised to make things better for players.
The move came a day after Osaka, a 23-year-old who was born in Japan and moved with her family to the U.S. at age 3, was fined $15,000 for skipping the postmatch news conference after her first-round victory at the French Open. She also was threatened by all four Grand Slam tournaments with possible additional punishment, including disqualification or suspension, if she continued with her intention — which Osaka revealed last week on Twitter — to not “do any press during Roland Garros.”
She framed the matter as a mental health issue, saying that it can create self-doubt to have to answer questions after a loss.
“First and foremost we are sorry and sad for Naomi Osaka. The outcome of Naomi withdrawing from Roland Garros is unfortunate,” French tennis federation president Gilles Moretton said Monday.
“We wish her the best and the quickest possible recovery. And we look forward to having Naomi in our tournament next year.”
Moretton said the four major tournaments, and the professional tennis tours, “remain very committed to all athletes’ well-being and to continually improving every aspect of players’ experience in our tournament, including with the media, like we always have.”
(With inputs from Agencies)