I am 39 years old, and I have played tennis since I was about six years old. I played for my school teams in middle school, high school, and college. I have played in various leagues and tournaments. I really like tennis, and I know a fair amount about it.
I struggle with anxiety and depression, and I have in various ways of severity for most of my life. In 2015, I started having panic attacks, and I was put on medication. I continue to take medication daily. I manage my anxiety and depression in several ways, and, on some days, you would never know that this is something I deal with always. On other days, you could definitely tell.
I watched the infamous match where Naomi Osaka defeated Serena Williams in the U.S. Open. Several things happened in the match which were deeply unfair to Williams, but nothing was as unfair as what happened to Osaka because a match where she played stunningly was essentially taken from her and her victory was basically hollow. I have no idea about the status of her mental health before that match, but going through something like that could certainly count as a traumatic experience.
People experience traumatic situations in vastly different ways. If someone says something is traumatic for them, you don't get to say it isn't. You also don't get to compare your experience with theirs. We are, as it turns out, quite unique.
Assuming Venus Williams actually made the comment about having "thick skin" as opposed to Osaka's "thin skin" - that's an incredibly unfortunate thing to say. Forms of mental health experiences can be as debilitating as cancer. Would you say someone who has cancer has "thin skin?"
I love sports, way too much probably, and I have never for one moment cared about someone being interviewed before a match, during a match, or after a match. I think such interviews are pointless. The only joy I have ever taken in them is the time Rasheed Wallace repeated the phrase "Both teams played hard my man, both teams played hard" after a game, and obviously his doing so pointed out how ridiculous any questions were for him at the time. I'm cool with eliminating "pressers" entirely because I don't think they serve any useful purpose. Of course I understand this is only my opinion, and I welcome pushback. But saying that appearing at a press conference or answering questions is part of being an athlete is laughable. It's the same thing as making athletes role models. That's on you, not on them.
Tennis is among the most solitary sports, if not the most solitary major sport. As was displayed during the aforementioned match between Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka, you are to have no communication whatsoever with anyone as a coach, supporter, etc. (in most match play). I think this is stupid too, but there it is.
Osaka deserves the benefit of the doubt and to be treated with respect. Mental health is not a game, and it isn't something armchair quarterbacks should comment on. Tennis would do well to drop pressers and let the athletes play.
