On Wednesday, Naomi Osaka came back to Flushing Meadows to give a speech at a US Open mental health conference alongside Michael Phelps.
Osaka hasn’t been seen on the court in New York this year after giving birth to her daughter Shai in July with her rapper boyfriend Cordae. But she made a special appearance at the US Open, giving fans a glimpse of her.
Osaka was back in New York to take part in a discussion on mental health issues with Michael Phelps and US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy. The Japanese tennis player has openly discussed her struggles with mental illness both on and off the court.
She withdrew from the 2021 French Open after being criticized for refusing to give post-match interviews, revealing that she had previously battled depression. She stated her condition at that time: “I never wanted to be a distraction and I accept that my timing was not ideal and my message could have been clearer. More importantly, I would never trivialize mental health or use the term lightly.”
Our 2x champ Naomi Osaka is back in the house! 🏠pic.twitter.com/RF4egwONx8
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 6, 2023
Naomi Osaka in 2023
Now the world no.603, Naomi played her last match on the 20th of September 2022 when she had to retire when playing against world no.322 Daria Gavrilova in the 1st round and the scoreline was 1-0 .
Presently, during this year Naomi has a 14-9 win-loss record.
