Ex-ATP Player ‘Really Glad’ Amanda Anisimova and Naomi Osaka Are Discussing Mental Health

Both Naomi Osaka and Amanda Anisimova have often talked about the importance of mental well-being and even took a mental health break. Due to this, Patrick McEnroe, a former ATP player and also the brother of John McEnroe, lauded them for spreading awareness.

Osaka took a mental health break after the 2021 French Open. Anisimova took it in 2023 and returned last year. McEnore, during The Daily Show, talked about the highly pressurized environment in tennis, pointing out that, as it’s an individual sport, one cannot escape from the pressure.

There’s a lot of pressure in tennis; with it being such an individual sport, you can’t escape it. The point is that you lose a lot in tennis, so you have to deal with it. I am really glad that players like Naomi Osaka and Amanda Anisimova are talking about mental health. It used to be that if you talked about it, ‘Hey, you’re a wuss. ‘

Both Osaka and Anisimova have started to perform extremely well in recent times. Anisimova played two straight Grand Slam finals at Wimbledon and the US Open, while Osaka reached two finals as well as the semifinal of the US Open this season.

You don’t talk about the fact that you’re struggling mentally. That shows that you’re not tough. So those things have always happened. But I think it’s really healthy that the players are not shy about discussing it. I think Amanda is a perfect example of someone who dealt with it, confronted it head-on, and then it made her a better person and a better player.

Patrick McEnroe added

Osaka’s run at the US Open was ended by Anisimova, who also took a 3-0 head-to-head lead over the Japanese ace. The two finals Osaka reached this year were at the ASB Classic and the Canadian Open. She gave the walkover to Clara Tauson in Auckland and lost in three sets to home favorite Victoria Mboko in Montreal. The last title, the former World No.1 clinched, was the 2021 Australian Open.

Rennae Stubbs on Amanda Anisimova’s US Open final against Aryna Sabalenka

At Wimbledon, Amanda Anisimova reached a Grand Slam final for the first time. But the pressure of playing a final on the biggest stage was such that the American completely froze. Nerves got the better of her as a result of which, she lost 6-0, 6-0 to World No.2 Iga Swiatek.