Reuters
Tennis-Osaka should be applauded for prioritising mental health – Stephens
Naomi Osaka should be supported and applauded for her decision to withdraw from the French Open to focus on her mental health, former U.S. Open champion and WTA Players’ Council member Sloane Stephens said on Tuesday. Japan’s Osaka left the claycourt Grand Slam on Monday after refusing to attend the mandatory post-match press conferences and revealing she had been suffering from bouts of depression for three years. “Having to take a step back and say, ‘Hey, I need to do this for me’, we should support her and applaud her, because a lot of people wouldn’t do that,” Stephens said after her first round victory.