Billie Jean King lauds Naomi Osaka for psychological well being stand

Tennis nice Billie Jean King has praised Naomi Osaka for talking out on psychological well being points and her stand towards racial injustice.
Japan’s Osaka withdrew from this yr’s French Open after being fined and threatened with expulsion for refusing to do media duties, which she mentioned had contributed to the despair points she had struggled with for years.
The 23-year-old, a four-times Grand Slam champion, additionally pulled out of Wimbledon, resulting in a broader dialog about psychological well being in sport.
Osaka was joined by King, mercurial Australian Nick Kyrgios and former American participant Mardy Fish for a dialogue hosted by Racquet Magazine on the eve of the U.S. 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 number one determine within the marketing campaign for gender equality in tennis, advised Osaka.
“When I used to be outed in ’81 for being homosexual, I misplaced all the pieces in 24 hours. You guys can speak about this stuff and also you’re celebrated. Other individuals have the identical points. But we couldn’t speak about it the best 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 up to now likened Osaka’s off-court stance to that of the Original Nine, a bunch of gamers led by King who fought tirelessly to begin knowledgeable ladies’s tennis tour, which led to the creation of the WTA in 1973.
Osaka was lauded for supporting the “Black Lives Matter” marketing campaign as she highlighted racial injustice by carrying completely different face masks at her 2020 U.S. Open matches bearing the names of African Americans who died lately.
“After my first Slam, I was supposed to be the good girl,” Osaka mentioned. “But now that I’m talking about stuff that bothers me, I think it’s confusing a lot of people. I honestly don’t know what people think about me.”
In a social media submit on Sunday, Osaka mentioned she intends to have fun her personal achievements extra and won’t fear concerning the expectations others place on her as she prepares to start her U.S. Open title defence.Kyrgios, who has been punished by authorities for his on-court behaviour, mentioned he didn’t really feel the media cared about gamers’ well-being.
But King, who received 12 Grand Slam singles titles, mentioned the game’s finiancial power wouldn’t have been potential with out the assist of the press.
“In our generation we played for $14 a day and we played for more than ourselves,” she mentioned.”We solely had the standard media. So if we don’t get them to inform our story then we wouldn’t have what we’ve in the present day.”