Humanizing Naomi Osaka

Naomi Osaka, the fastest rising star in all of tennis, unexpectedly withdrew from the French Open earlier this week — taking to Instagram to poignantly detail her little-known battles with anxiety and depression.

Osaka, who has already won four Grand Slam titles at just 23 years old, said before the tournament that she wouldn't be speaking to the media due to its negative effect on her emotional and mental state, despite tournament policy requiring players to sit for post-match press conferences.

What ensued in Paris was a breakdown in empathetic leadership.

Osaka was aware of the tournament's media policy in advance, though she didn't articulate her concerns earlier on and later acknowledged she should have. Yet, she made a courageous and vulnerable decision to stand in her truth and put her emotional well-being and mental health first.

If the tournament is simply remembered as the one in which Osaka refused to speak to the media, we’ll miss out on a precious opportunity to engage in honest, meaningful and vital conversation around mental health. And not just our own mental health, but that of those we lead. Osaka's brave stance should be praised, not scrutinized.

Tournament officials, unfortunately, did not seize the opportunity to lead from a place of compassion. Instead of threatening fines and future expulsion, they would have been better off listening to learn. As leaders and positive difference-makers, we must understand that people do not always need advice and reprimanding. Sometimes, a person needs a listening ear, an open mind, and a heart that takes the time to understand them genuinely.

As change agents, we must not dehumanize the lived experiences of others just because it might be different from our journey. Naomi Osaka is gifted. She's prolific, mature beyond her years, and a champion. But Naomi Osaka is human, too, just like each of us.

We all are experiencing and going through something that another person knows absolutely nothing about.

Instead of us being so quick to react and make a judgment and assumptions about someone else's mental health, it would be wise to respond with grace and from a place of being hungry to listen, to learn and to understand.

So thank you, Naomi Osaka, for standing in your truth and for empowering and liberating others who might be suffering in darkness and silence. Naomi Osaka's vulnerability and courage in using her voice and platform with grace go beyond any tennis match or Grand Slam. Osaka caring more about the game of life brought awareness, education and empathy to mental health and the power of self-care.

When it is all said and done, that's what legacy and leading from a place of authentic compassion really looks like.