Mental Health is in the spotlight again (and rightly so), with another global athlete (Naomi Osaka) hitting the headlines.
Now Naomi is a bit of a divisive figure in the sports world, often seeking to avoid the media glare in post-match interviews or even avoiding whole tournaments, which is her right.
In fact, after skipping Wimbledon and withdrawing from the French Open, citing mental health issues earlier this year, Naomi has now announced an “indefinite break” from the gruelling tennis circuit.
Many sympathise with Naomi, not least record-breaking NFL icon Tom Brady, who was recently interviewed by USA Today Sports. Here’s Tom’s take on Naomi and Simone Biles, who we also wrote about recently:
“I think there are so many young people in sports. Obviously, Naomi’s really young. Simone’s really young. I’m 44. When I was 24, I certainly didn’t have all the answers to all the different pressures and the adversities that you face. I don’t know if we have expectations for people that we should have all the answers, have all things figured out at young ages…
…So, life has its challenges for all of us. You just hope that people can manage them and get through them in as healthy of a way as possible and that you can learn from them and that they make you into a more self-aware person. And that’s obviously what I hope for Simone and Naomi.”
We hear you Tom! That’s why we’ve put together a suite of training videos on this crucial topic and you can see an example HERE
However, not all agree with Tom, with Piers Morgan turning his ire on Naomi this week:
Earlier this week Piers tweeted:
“People got very upset when I suggested Naomi Osaka may be a spoiled brat.
“Here she is repeatedly smashing up rackets as she loses in the US Open.
“Then she cried again, and threatened to quit again.
“If a male tennis player behaved like this, we’d call him…. a spoiled brat.”
Now let’s not forget, Piers is a master at generating debate to boost his own profile, so it is tempting to take his comments with a pinch of salt but on this occasion, on a subject as critical as mental health, maybe some training might be in order!
If you want some, just click HERE.
