BECOMING YOUR OWN CHAMPION STARTS WITH
A REALITY CHECK OF YOUR MENTAL HEALTH
impact. Athletes like Kyrie Irving and
Michael Phelps came to her defense
for shedding much-needed light on
the mental health strains they endure
during competition as well as press
conferences with journalists. People
from all walks of life were also able to
relate to her, particularly those who
experienced mental health strains exacerbated
The cultural impact of Osaka’s
decision is very profound. As a Japanese
Haitian athlete, she’s helping destigmatize
discussions around mental
health in Black American, Caribbean
and countless cultures throughout the
world where acknowledging issues
like depression and anxiety, and seeking
help, are taboo.
While most people are familiar
with Wimbledon, the U.S. Open is
one of several dozen tournaments in
which tennis players compete. This results
in an incredible amount of pressure
on tennis players to excel on the
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TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | AUG. 27 - SEPT. 2, 2021 13
OP-ED
BY ANNIKA T. D’ANDREA
In a few short weeks, Queens will
resume its annual tradition of welcoming
the world’s best tennis players and
the sport’s enthusiasts to Flushing
Meadows Corona Park. All eyes will
undoubtedly be on Naomi Osaka, who
over the last few months has received
both praise and criticism for her decision
to withdraw from the French
Open, citing mental health reasons.
Up until this pivotal moment,
Osaka had used her global platform
to address systemic racism and police
brutality. She was intentional on using
her platform to “say their names”
during the 2020 tennis season when
she wore protective face masks bearing
the names of victims like George
Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud
Arbery.
Osaka’s decision to set boundaries
in an effort to protect her mental wellbeing
has had a wide-ranging positive
by the pandemic.
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court, and still reserve enough mental
energy to speak with reporters about
their performance shortly after each
match — win or lose.
I grew up during a time when male
tennis players were given a pass for
unruly and unsportsmanlike behavior
on the court. Male athletes in every
sport are still allowed to have a
bad day and not suffer the level of scrutiny
that Osaka has faced for prioritizing
her mental health and empowering
others to do the same. We were
once again reminded of the mental
health toll athletes endure when Simone
Biles temporarily withdrew from
the Tokyo Olympics because she didn’t
realize just how stressful the competition
was becoming.
Athletes are not robots, and their
sole purpose is not just to “shut up and
dribble” — or hit a ball with their racket.
Osaka is human, and like many of
us, she is trying to figure out how to
overcome difficult situations. Resilience
is learning that even though we
face adversities, we are able to develop
strategies that will allow us to combat
those adversities, cope and become
stronger individuals.
A key aspect of building resilience
is normalizing mental health discussions.
This is the best way to help individuals
recognize that caring for
mental health is the same as receiving
care for a physical ailment.
So when the U.S. Open starts, I’ll
be rooting for Naomi Osaka, and challenging
others with as big a platform
as hers to be agents of change in the
fight to prioritize mental health.
Annika T. D’Andrea is the founder
and CEO of Tender Loving Family Inc.,
a New York state-licensed home health
care organization, and TLC Virtual
Resiliency, a group-based, virtual, custom
wellness and resiliency-building
program. To learn more, visit
tlcvirtualresiliency.com.
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