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Naomi Osaka has received an outpouring of support after withdrew from the French Open following her decision to skip the press conferences for the tournament.
After seeing the news Monday, Nicki Minaj shared a photo of the tennis champion with a red heart and a pink bow emoji on her Instagram story.
According to Good Morning America, fellow tennis champ Serena Williams shared her remarks about the matter after a first-round win at the French Open. “The only thing I feel is that I feel for Naomi. I feel like I wish I could give her a hug because I know what it’s like,” Williams said.
Minaj and Williams’ support came after Osaka shared a statement on social media declaring that “the best thing for the tournament” would be for her to withdraw from the Grand Slam tournament and focus on her “mental health.”
Osaka went on to reveal that she’s been battling depression since her first Grand Slam title win against Williams in 2018. “The truth is that I have suffered long bouts of depression since the U.S. Open in 2018, and I have had a really hard time coping with that,” she wrote.
Osaka later apologized to the tennis press, adding that she gets “huge waves of anxiety before I speak to the world’s media.”
She added, “I get really nervous and find it stressful to always try to engage and give you the best answers I can. So here in Paris, I was already feeling vulnerable and anxious, so I thought it was better to exercise self-care and skip the press conferences.”
Osaka added that she apologized to the French Open “privately” and is willing to speak to officials after the tournament ends.
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