"I think speaking about mental health is really important because a lot of people experience it, I got that inspiration from Naomi Osaka" - Olympian gold-medalist Chloe Kim
Naomi Osaka continues to inspire fellow athletes not just with her achievements on the tennis court but also by speaking up about mental health awareness.
American snowboarder Chloe Kim, speaking to a reporter at the 2022 MLB All-Star Celebrity Softball Game, mentioned Osaka while pointing out why it was important to talk about mental health issues. The two-time Olympic gold-medallist disclosed that athletes like Osaka and Simone Biles inspired her to feel comfortable talking about mental health.
"I think speaking about mental health is really important because a lot of people experience it and we need to make it so that people feel comfortable speaking about their struggles and seeking help because, I mean, I needed help," Kim said.
"I got that inspiration from Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka knowing that this was something that I had struggled with but seeing other high-level athletes coming out and speaking about their struggles, this was very inspirational for me and I felt how big an impact I made. So, it was important for me to speak about it as well," she added.
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Chloe Kim won the gold medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics, which made the then 17-year-old the youngest woman to win an Olympic snowboarding gold medal.
After winning two more gold medals at the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing, Kim announced that she was taking a break from the 2022-2023 snowboarding season to focus on her mental health.
Naomi Osaka has struggled with mental health issues since French Open 2021
Two-time US Open champion Naomi Osaka began the 2021 season on a high by bagging the Australian Open title for the second time in her career.
Osaka, who was seeded second at Roland Garros that year, announced that she would not conduct mandatory media assignments ahead of her first-round game.
After winning her opening match against Patricia Tig, the Japanese star refused to attend a press conference despite being fined. She subsequently announced her withdrawal from the tournament citing mental health issues.
BREAKING: Naomi Osaka fined $15,000 for refusing to do a post-match press conference today. A statement on behalf of all the grand slams says "the Roland-Garros teams asked her to reconsider her position and tried unsuccessfully to speak with her to check on her well-being".
The four-time Grand Slam champion also withdrew from Wimbledon last year. At the 2021 US Open, she appeared to lose her composure against Leylah Fernandez in the third round before going down 7-5, 6(2)-7, 4-6 to the eventual runner-up.
Earlier this year, Osaka was brought to tears after getting upset by a heckler during her second-round match at the Indian Wells Open. The 24-year-old later revealed that she related the heckling to what Serena Williams had to endure at the same venue in 2001.
The former World No. 1 opted out of Wimbledon this year after having lost in the first round at both the Australian Open and the French Open.