Today is the feast of Corpus Christi so allow me to wish the Christian community a happy and holy celebration. Many of you are well aware of my love for tennis and I try my best, especially when the respective Grand Slams are on, to sit in front of the television to watch some absorbing tennis from some of the world’s greatest talents. A few years ago, I saw this young, half-Japanese half-Haitian girl looking like a little paper doll playing in the Australian Open and for a flyweight, she was hitting the ball like a heavyweight and I immediately took a note of the name - Naomi Osaka. It was unbelievable how hard this little girl was striking the tennis ball.
Back in 2016, she lacked the experience and the finesse to get beyond the third round in any of the Grand Slam tournaments. I am providing this background because I am a solid fan of Osaka. She professionally goes about her business with very little fuss and her timing of the ball is even more precise now than before. Anyone that can stand toe to toe with Serena Williams and get her to retreat must be special. You may recall she defeated Serena Williams in the US Open final in 2018 to become, at just 20 years old, the first Japanese player to win a Grand Slam singles title.
After she stunned the world in that match and I heard her speak, my initial thoughts were that she is a young woman who is introverted and not used to speaking in public. She gave the clearly evident impression that she wanted to move as quickly as possible from in front of the microphone. Things have not got better over the years as she is still very shy and young athletes stand there and are expected to answer whatever questions the media throws at them.
These questions can take different forms from what is your favourite food, where did you eat last night, do you have a partner and it can go on and on. As a young athlete, it can be tough to face the press and I thought Naomi was coming around even though there was still a large amount of uncertainty in her outlook and the way she dealt with the press.
Fast forward roughly 2.5 years and Osaka has decided to pull out of the French Open following their decision to fine her USD 15,000 for deciding to not participate in a news conference. For her to withdraw from a major open should be disconcerting to all tennis officials the world over. She had initially written to the French Tennis Federation (FTF) informing and apologising to them of her decision to skip the press conferences saying that she would be more than happy to speak with the press after the tournament as the Slams are intense. She may have thought that the FTF would have given it some thought and allowed her not to participate in the conferences and perhaps try to assist her with her struggles especially her spells of depression since the US Open in 2018.
The fine imposed on her by the FTF was both heartless and showing no regard for the mental health of one of their most talented athletes. It represents nothing more than a shocking admission of the attitude of this organisation - do as I tell you or move on. The biggest joke of all is that after her withdrawal, FTF’s president reportedly said he was “sorry and sad” for Naomi and they wish her the best and quickest possible recovery. Really? Could this not have been done before? but this was the same organisation that stopped Serena Williams from wearing a catsuit at the tournament even though she explained to them that it was to prevent blood clots. So forget about blood clots, you can't wear that type of outfit at our tournament. Anecdotal evidence now suggests that the FTF really does not care about the mental or physical health of its athletes.
I would expect that many media personnel would be upset at Osaka even though she apologised and said it had nothing to do with them but mentally, she couldn’t deal with the situation. A few journalists have barked at her decision trying to cast her in a negative light with names such as “uppity princess” etc. but the biggest and perhaps least surprising disappointment of all was UK journalist/television personality Piers Morgan. He called her an “arrogant spoiled brat whose fame and fortune appears to have inflated her ego to gigantic proportions”. Can you imagine that? Here is a young woman suffering from depression and anxiety since 2018 and the ‘great’ Piers Morgan, who never kicked a lime in his life, decides he is an expert in mental health. Truly shocking.
Public speaking is not an easy thing for many athletes and even though today they are being trained on how to speak publicly when they are confronted with a microphone, they go blank. I truly empathise with Naomi Osaka but it is time officials and organisers in various sports pay more attention to the mental health of our athletes. We have examples right here in this country where our own athletes ask for time off from the game to sort out their mental problems.
Too many times officials treat athletes like robots and expect them not only to perform at optimum levels but pay little or no attention to their mental health. That type of treatment simply has to stop.
Athletes are the ones who carry any sport. Sure, the French open will go on (with this huge stain on its image) but oh how much better the final could be if Osaka was playing. I hope she gets whatever help she needs and she comes back stronger than ever. Women's tennis needs Naomi Osaka but it is going to be interesting going forward or will it be a case of “do as I say if you want to play in my tournament”?
Before I close, what an important week for the Soca Warriors, as they play two CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers against the Bahamas on Saturday and St Kitts & Nevis in a virtual final on June 8th. Nothing but victory in those two games will satisfy the football-loving public of Trinidad & Tobago. Outside of an injured Kevin Molino, coach Terry Fenwick has been able to call on the services of both local and foreign players to strengthen his squad. I expect the team to be well prepared but more importantly, fight with a type of determination for their country to ensure victory and to lift T&T’s footballing pedigree so that the rest of the Caribbean can stand up and take notice of the Soca Warriors once again. Good luck!
Editor’s note:
The views expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not reflect the views of any organisation of which he is a stakeholder.