Osaka back in the swing as therapy serves up success

Star reveals she sought help after heckler incident

MIAMI－Naomi Osaka regained her composure to breeze into the second round of the Miami Open on Wednesday before revealing she has begun working with a therapist to deal with the issues which saw her make a tearful exit at Indian Wells earlier this month.

The Japanese star, who had time away from the sport in 2021 because of mental health problems, has sought help after struggling to deal with being heckled in California during her loss to Veronika Kudermetova.

The four-time Grand Slam champion showed tremendous poise at the Hard Rock Stadium to beat world No 96 Astra Sharma 6-3, 6-4 and move into the second round.

With world No 1 Ashleigh Barty stunning the sporting world by announcing her retirement at the age of just 25, the grueling effect the professional tennis tour has on body and mind has been brought into sharp focus.

"I don't know if I'm allowed to say this, but I finally started talking to a therapist after Indian Wells," Osaka said.

"It only took like a year after the French Open (in 2021 when Osaka announced she was taking a break).

"She kind of told me strategies and stuff. I realize how helpful it is. I'm glad that I have people around me that told me to, like, go in that direction.

"But, yeah, I was basically just remembering all the things that she told me to do, just to take deep breaths and reset myself when I need to."

Osaka's decision to step away from tennis last year was seen by many as a watershed moment for high-profile sports stars who opt to prioritize mental well-being.

When asked why she finally made the decision to go into therapy, the 24-year-old said: "Honestly because my sister kind of, like, seemed very concerned for me.

"I don't know. Like I feel like I've been trying a lot of different things because I tend to internalize things, and I also want to do everything by myself."

She said advice from coach Wim Fissette had also steered her to seek help.

"Wim kind of put it in a really good way. He was like, 'You hire a coach for tennis, for fitness. The mind is such a big thing. If you can, like, get a professional to help you out, 5 percent, that alone is worth it.'"

Osaka, who will play German Angelique Kerber next, said during an on-court interview after Wednesday's win: "The last match I played (at Indian Wells) wasn't the greatest memory for me.

"I just wanted to prove I could come back out here, compete and have the best attitude I could."

Osaka is Japanese-born, calls California home now, but spent much of her youth in South Florida, basically just a few miles north of where the Miami Open is now held.

"I kind of consider this like my home tournament," Osaka said, before her words got drowned out by more cheers and applause from fans. "This is the tournament that I loved coming to once a year. I'm just really happy to be back out here."

It was Osaka's first match since a March 12 loss at Indian Wells, when she was rattled by a derogatory shout from a spectator. If any similar thoughts were expressed by the fans who were watching Wednesday in a largely empty stadium court built over the field where the NFL's Miami Dolphins play football, they either were ignored or unnoticed.

"Honestly, for me, I just didn't want to let anything bother me today no matter what happened," Osaka said. "The last match that I played was not the greatest memory for me."

That's when someone decided to yell from the stands: "We love you!"

Osaka surely appreciated that sentiment.

No 13 seed Kerber－like Osaka, another former world No 1－had a bye out of the first round. Kerber is 4-1 head-to-head against Osaka.

Osaka improved to 7-2 this year, not counting a walkover loss at Melbourne in early January when she withdrew from an Australian Open warm-up event with an abdominal injury.

She's ranked No 77 in the world largely because she hasn't entered many events in the last year, though among active players－if Barty is no longer considered one after her surprising retirement announcement－Osaka is the most recent to hold the No 1 ranking. Barty supplanted her in the top spot on Sept 9, 2019, and has held that ranking since.

Osaka has openly talked about struggling with depression and working on her mental health since winning the 2018 US Open over Serena Williams. She withdrew from last year's French Open, left last year's US Open in tears and was brought to tears again by the comment from a spectator at Indian Wells earlier this month.

Agencies