Imagine you’re about to play in a tournament against the top athletes in the world. The temperature is 30 degrees Celsius. Thousands in the stands. You are 20 years old. And unlike other professional sports where players receive guidance from their coach, yours is sandwiched between the throngs of screaming fans and can’t so much as gesture at you.

This is tennis — a sport where players as young as 14 can go pro and play against the Nadals and Williams of the tennis world.

Sports can be a pressure cooker of highs/lows, glorious victories and painful losses. Serena Williams once yelled at an umpire and called her a “thief” for penalizing her.

Jon McEnroe was the tennis worlds Mt St. Helena. Even the happy go lucky Novak Djokovic once batted a ball in frustration and hit a line judge.

The physical aspect is profound. Matches can be as short as 40 minutes. But most are decided in 2–4 hours. A lot can happen in that time. During the 2018 US Open, temperatures reached 40 degrees Celsius. One player said he felt like he was going to die.

Athletes play superhuman — they have to. And that comes at a mental cost as well.

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Naomi Osaka is a tennis phenom with 4 grand slam titles and the face of the sport. But the pressure of playing and winning has trapped her in dark places.

Before this years French Open, Naomi announced that she would not participate in any news conference citing mental health concerns:

“I’ve often felt that people have no regard of athletes’ mental health and this rings very true whenever I see a press conference or partake in one.”

You’d think the WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) would be sympathetic, especially in an age where mental health is in the spotlight. Nope. In a tone deaf statement the WTA responded by saying:

“Mental health is of the utmost importance to the WTA and for that matter, every individual person… The WTA welcomes a dialogue with Naomi (and all players) to discuss possible approaches that can help support an athlete as they manage any concerns related to mental health.”

So far, so good, right? There’s more!

“Professional athletes have a responsibility to their sport and their fans to speak to the media surrounding their competition, allowing them the opportunity to share their perspective and tell their story.”

For an organization that claims to support mental health, they seem more interested in TV ratings and profiteering instead.

And the claim of “…allowing them the opportunity to share their perspective and tell their story” is laughable.

After dismissing the first French Open press conference, the WTA fined Naomi $15,000 for doing exactly that. Another tennis star, Ashleigh Barty, even threw a jab of her own saying news conferences are “part of the job”. She went on to say “I can’t really comment on what Naomi is feeling or her decisions she makes.”

No — no you can’t. But you did. And this is part of the problem.

While it’s true these are well compensated athletes who must follow the same rules — mental health, depression, anxiety are conditions that don’t give a fuck about your win/loss record, endorsements and salary. They don’t care about media commitments or rules and regulations. It’s even worse when athletes dismiss their fellow player’s mental health issues simply because they don’t suffer from the same affliction.

We live in a world where mental health issues magically disappear when pro athletes make a certain amount of money and win a few trophies.

And because of this thinking, mental health in sports has become insidious. Playing tennis is already tough as it is, but toss an anxious young athlete into a room with dozens of reporters and flashing cameras and you got yourself a toxic brew.

During a post match conference with Amanda Anisimova, a reporter asked her about how she was handling her tennis career after the recent death of her father/coach. The question brought the 18 year old Anisimova to tears.

What’s striking about Naomi’s plight is her honesty about it. Depression and anxiety are so personalized to the individual suffering from it that it often goes undiagnosed or untreated. Here you have a superstar revealing to millions her condition. That’s gutsy. And more indicative of the athlete’s bravery/tenacity than their on court performance.

If the WTA was equally honest, they would admit that media obligations are for TV ratings and profit. But they wouldn’t dare.

Figures in the media, like Stephen A. Smith, are in agreement with the WTA: you must speak to the media because it’s your job.

Never mind the obvious bias, but let’s drill into this argument.

Why would you put athletes in a position which harms their mental health? Everyone has had a bad day at work but there’s a reason why companies are now introducing mental health days.

The WTA and other pro sports associations offer no such thing. At a minimum, they’ll recommend a therapist and release carefully worded PR statements of phony support. At worst, they’ll fine you thousands of dollars and force you to quit the sport you love.

Imagine if a parent fined their child or took away dinner because they didn’t take their depression seriously.

Media commitment rules are both arbitrary and detrimental. They are inconsiderate of a player’s mental/emotional state. They are often time wasters. Sometimes reporters don’t even know if the athlete won or loss:

Athletes are peppered with repetitive and boring questions. And it’s not just the vocal aspect. Reporters will often surround athletes in tight spaces with microphones and cameras in their faces. This isn’t even taking into account whether or not the athlete just won or loss which could have huge implications on their mental/emotional state.

All of this adds up to insane pressure. When Naomi took a first round loss at the 2019 Wimbledon, she cut the post conference short when she choked up and said to the moderator “I feel like I’m about to cry.”:

It was a raw and heartbreaking moment that no athlete should have to endure. But nope. Rules are rules.

None of this is good for anyone — the athletes, the media, the sport, the fans.

The excuses and justifications for media commitments are nonsense.

“But it’s your job to speak to the media!”

Not if it jeopardizes the health of the athletes.

“You signed up for this when you became a pro!”

No one signs up to be depressed and anxious.

“But the media is helping promote your sport!”

No, they are not. Their only job is to promote themselves and their networks. Sports reporters create headlines which drives ad revenue. To say otherwise is both dishonest and ignorant.

Ironically, Naomi Osaka’s withdraw from the French Open will reduce ratings for the organizers. According to the WHO, depression and anxiety cost the global economy one trillion dollars in lost productivity a year. They just lost the face of their sport for the rest of the tournament. Plus, the negative media attention coming from this incident will have long term consequences.

And consider the integrity of the game. Young girls interested or playing tennis will look at this negatively and question whether or not they should continue playing in a sport that could harm them emotionally.

“But the fans want to hear what the athletes have to say!”

Really? I don’t know a single fan who is more interested in hearing athletes talk instead of playing. If they wanted to do that, they can follow the social media accounts of their favorite athletes (which a lot already do).

If sports associations actually cared about any of this, they would hire someone to ask the athletes “Are you okay?” before any press conference. But they offer no such protections. It’s proof that the only thing they care about are profits.

Actions — not words, or rules — matter. Naomi Osaka’s silence matters. Our mental health and well-being matters. Humans, whether athletes or not, matter.