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Japan’s Naomi Osaka returns the ball to Romania’s Patricia Maria Tig during their first-round match of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium Sunday, May 30, 2021, in Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
Tennis great Billie Jean King has praised Naomi Osaka for speaking out on mental health issues and her stand against racial injustice.
Japan’s Osaka withdrew from this year’s French Open after being fined and threatened with expulsion for refusing to do media duties, which she said had contributed to the depression issues she had struggled with for years.
The 23-year-old, a four-time grand slam champion, also pulled out of Wimbledon, leading to a broader conversation about mental health in sport.
Osaka was joined by King, mercurial Australian Nick Kyrgios, and former American player Mardy Fish for a discussion hosted by Racquet Magazine on the eve of the US Open.
“Everyone loves you guys. They listen to you guys, and I think it’s great when you talk and talk about your feelings. Kids need that,” King, a leading figure in the campaign for gender equality in tennis, told Osaka.
“When I was outed in ’81 for being gay, I lost everything in 24 hours.
“You guys can talk about these things and you’re celebrated. Other people have the same issues. But we couldn’t talk about it the way you get to.
“Every time I go to any place now I have to talk about mental health. Why? Because you guys talked about it. That’s fantastic progress.”
The 77-year-old has in the past likened Osaka’s off-court stance to that of the Original Nine, a group of players led by King who fought tirelessly to start a professional women’s tennis tour, which led to the creation of the WTA in 1973.
Osaka was lauded for supporting the “Black Lives Matter” campaign as she highlighted racial injustice by wearing different face masks at her 2020 US Open matches bearing the names of African Americans who died in recent years.
