There is a clinician on hand during Wimbledon for any female competitors who want to speak to someone about mental health concerns.
The Associated Pressplayer to withdraw during a Grand Slam tournament because of mental health concerns — and she likely won’t be the last. Others just might not always be as up-front as Osaka was.
There aren't teammates to rely on. There aren't days off for “load management.” Players can't even get in-match coaching at most tournaments. Osaka, 23, has won four Grand Slam titles, been ranked No. 1 and is the world’s highest-earning female athlete. At Wimbledon, and most tournaments, the WTA provides an on-site clinician so players can request 30- or 60-minute sessions. Also offered any day, any time: video or phone conversations.
“There’s a lot of pressure. I felt it when I was No. 20 in the world. I felt it when I broke my ankle and came back and I had points to defend and people expected me to have the same results as before and I wasn’t,” said Mihaela Buzarnescu, a 33-year-old player from Romania who has a Ph.D. “I was depressed. When ... my ranking went in one week from 55 to 135, I wasn’t able to go out of the hotel room for a couple of days.
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