“Respect the Decisions”: Maria Sharapova Backs Naomi Osaka While Speaking About Mental Health

After retiring from the game, Russia’s Maria Sharapova has played an active role as an entrepreneur. She is also doing a lot of interviews, and recently spoke about Naomi Osaka and her decision of taking a break from tennis. As the mental health topic comes to the forefront, Sharapova has also spoken out about it, and how people need to respect athletes’ decisions.

Former World No.1 Osaka has self-admittedly not been enjoying the game off-late. At the French Open, she decided to skip press conferences, as they made her feel low after a loss. The decision was not very well received in the tennis world, but made everyone stand up and talk about mental health. As the season progressed, Osaka seemed like a shadow of herself. After her shock exit from the US Open 2021, she has announced that she will be taking a break from the game.

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Maria Sharapova comes in support of Naomi Osaka

Sharapova is a 5-time Grand Slam winner, and a former World No.1 herself. She was on the circuit for a long time, and knows how it is to have the spotlight on oneself. She is also aware of the mental demands to stay at the highest level in the game of tennis. When asked about the Osaka situation in an interview, the Russian had a lot to say. “We all need to be incredibly supportive of athletes who are going through tough times in their careers,” quoted the 34-year-old veteran.

“Naomi [Osaka] is an incredible athlete and a beautiful human being, who has a very long career ahead of her. We all need to respect the decisions that players make at times of vulnerability, when they’re feeling down or not playing their best tennis. To be honest, not many people know what’s going on behind the scenes and how players feel. You only see the tennis game and what happens on the court. The more support that we can provide, the better they will be and the better that they will play.”

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From one Grand Slam winner to another, it was a heartfelt message from Sharapova to Osaka and the public. Hopefully, the break benefits the Japanese star, and she makes a successful return next year.