When Osaka withdrew from the French Open last May, it stunned and upset many people. In a lengthy Twitter post, Osaka revealed that she was not a natural public speaker and suffered from severe anxiety before she was made to speak to the public after her games. 

“I am not a natural public speaker and get huge waves of anxiety before I speak to the world’s media,” Osaka said. “I get really nervous and find it stressful to always try and engage and give [the media] the best answers I can.”

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— NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) May 31, 2021

“The truth is that I have suffered long bouts of depression since the US Open in 2018 and I have had a really hard time coping with that,” Osaka wrote. “Anyone that knows me knows I’m introverted, and anyone that has seen me at the tournaments will notice that I’m often wearing headphones as that helps dull my social anxiety.”

Since then, Osaka has publicly talked about her mental health and recently confirmed that she now sees a therapist because of a heckler at a recent tennis match.

“I don’t know if I’m allowed to say this, but I finally started talking to a therapist after Indian Wells. It only took like a year after [the] French Open,” Osaka said. “I realize how helpful it is. I’m glad that I have people around me that told me to go in that direction.”

The list is endless when it comes down to Serena Williams and her bouts with depression throughout her career.

Williams acknowledged that depression interfered with her career multiple times, including in 2015 when she took a break to recover from depression and knee injuries—to most recently shared how she pushed through postpartum depression, which she has renamed “Postpartum Emotions,” after the birth of her daughter, Alexis. 

Williams shared an Instagram post in August 2018, where she disclosed how she read several articles on postpartum depression and even questioned whether she was a good mother to her daughter. 

 

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“Last week was not easy for me. Not only was I accepting some tough personal stuff, but I just was in a funk. Mostly, I felt like I was not a good mom,” Williams wrote. “I read several articles that said postpartum emotions can last up to 3 years if not dealt with. I like communication best. Talking things through with my mom, my sisters, my friends let me know that my feelings are totally normal.” 

Williams concluded her post by stating that it is normal to feel that she wasn’t doing enough as a mother because all mothers have been through that and all mothers are heroes. 

“It’s totally normal to feel like I’m not doing enough for my baby. We have all been there. I work a lot, I train, and I’m trying to be the best athlete I can be,” Williams said. “However, that means although I have been with her every day of her life, I’m not around as much as I would like to be. Most of you moms deal with the same thing. Whether stay-at-home or working, finding that balance with kids is a true art. You are the true heroes.”

The following year, Williams confessed that she started seeing a therapist after losing the 2018 U.S. Open; coincidentally, Williams lost to Osaka that year. 

“Days passed, and I still couldn’t find peace. I started seeing a therapist. I was searching for answers, and although I felt like I was making progress, I still wasn’t ready to pick up a racket,” Williams said. “Finally I realized that there was only one way for me to move forward. It was time for me to apologize to the person who deserved it the most.”

Simone Manuel is one of the most decorated swimmers of all time. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Manuel became the first Black female swimmer with an Olympic gold medal. 

However, achieving and maintaining the record-breaking that she holds did not come with her own problems with mental health. In a press conference last year, Manuel explained that her failure to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics was due to an illness she was diagnosed with; overtraining syndrome. 

“Nothing I’d ever heard of,” Manuel said. “Just walking up the stairs to the pool, I was gassed. Workouts that seemed to be easier were really hard.”

Manuel noted that sometimes she does not feel like she appreciates the things she has achieved, so at the moment, she felt genuinely proud of herself, hoping that this inspires other athletes too. 

“I sometimes don’t feel like I sit back and appreciate what I’ve done,” Manuel said. “This was the first time, before I even dove in for a race, that I was actually proud of myself,” Manuel said. “I hope that inspires more athletes to feel that way—I don’t think I’m alone in thinking that we don’t feel so proud of ourselves until we accomplish something great. That’s what’s giving me peace. I know I’ve given everything I possibly could to even be here. I continued to stay strong in this process, even when there were times I wanted to give up.”

In December, TIME Magazine named Simone Biles 2021 Athlete of the Year for her achievements as a gymnast and her advocacy for mental health. 

During the TIME article, Colin Kaepernick praised Biles for being brave and gracious enough to speak about her mental health challenges and praised her influence in making a difference.  

“Simone Biles has used her remarkable position as the world’s greatest gymnast ever to inspire a long-overdue global conversation on mental health,” Kaepernick said. “Her influence extends far beyond the realm of sports and shows us that another world—a better world—is possible when we speak our truths with integrity and authenticity.”

In the weeks leading up to her TIME piece, Biles revealed on NBC’s “Today” show that she’s still struggling with the “twisties” as she performs on her Gold Over America Tour. 

“To do something that I’ve done forever and just not be able to do it because of everything I’ve gone through is really crazy because I love this sport so much,” Biles said. “It’s hard. I’m sorry. And I don’t think people understand the magnitude of what I go through, but for so many years to go through everything that I’ve gone through having a front, I’m proud of myself.”

After entering as a heavy favorite to win several gold medals in Tokyo, Biles suddenly withdrew from multiple events due to mental health issues, which caused her disorientation in the air while competing.

During the interview, Biles announced her position as the chief impact officer of the mental health and telemedicine app, Cerebral.

Cerebal shared on its website their excitement at welcoming Biles to the brand as a CIO and her efforts to bring mental health awareness to the public.

“Here at Cerebral, we watched with awe as Simone overcame an extreme version of the same challenge we all face: caring for ourselves and doing the best for our mental health,” the press release stated. “That’s why we’re so excited to partner with Simone and join our efforts with hers to raise awareness of mental health issues and ensure everyone has the best access to high-quality mental health care.”

In 2016, Raven Saunders finished in fifth place at the Rio 2016 Olympics, and within two years, Saunders was contemplating taking her own life. 

During an interview with CNN Sports, Saunders revealed that her mental health spiraled after the 2016 Olympics, and no one knew or understood what she was going through. 

“It was like no one really understood the pain and the challenges I was going through,” Saunders said. “It got worse and worse and worse and worse till it all boiled over … I remember in the morning, just going through the motions, kind of being in a daze, having things to do, but not really having any motivation or any care to really get anything done.

“Then hopping in my car and driving and looking at that spot.”

After suffering from an injury in 2017, Saunders’ depression got worse, despite winning the USA national championship title that year. Saunders, however, lost her NCAA title and finished in 10th place at the world championships in London. As a result of her performance not exceeding her expectations, Saunders lost the will to live, and trying to maintain good grades in school didn’t help. 

“Track was my first love … (it) gave me that oomph to push in the environment that I was in,” says Saunders. “I wasn’t necessarily fulfilled because being a young, Black, LGBTQ woman in America and being in Mississippi — the (most) old school of old school places that you can find in America — it was really hard going through a phase of trying to learn and find myself in a place where I didn’t fully feel accepted.”

However, Saunders was able to get help at a mental health facility through the University of Mississippi, which helped her deal with personal issues she suffered from since she was a child. 

“It (therapy) helped a lot,” says Saunders, “having the time to really work on the things personally that I had been dealing with, problems really since childhood. It was nice to be able to have somebody that all of the weight that I’m bearing — I don’t have to carry it by myself.”

In July, Saunders would compete in the Tokyo Olympics and win the silver medal for Team USA.