Naomi Osaka opens up on 'finally' starting therapy after Indian Wells heckling incident

Naomi Osaka has revealed she is in therapy after being heckled in Indian Wells. The former world No 1 has been open about her mental health in recent months, last year opting not to partake in press conferences at the French Open before withdrawing from both that event and Wimbledon for her wellbeing.

Osaka has played little tennis in the last year, mostly to protect her mental wellbeing. Her decision not to attend press conferences at last year's French Open drew so much criticism that the 24-year-old withdrew from the tournament and also skipped Wimbledon. She then ended her season and took an indefinite break from tennis after revealing her love for the game had disappeared after a third-round exit at the US Open.

She returned in Australia this season with a new mindset but suffered a difficult experience during her second-round match at Indian Wells when a spectator shouted out: "Naomi, you suck," early in the first set, leaving the four-time Grand Slam champion fighting back tears as Veronika Kudermetova defeated her 6-0 6-4. The current world No 77 is now back at the Miami Open and had a warm welcome in her first match as she defeated Astra Sharma 6-3 6-4, with the crowd instead telling Osaka they "loved" her.

The 24-year-old momuntarily addressed the incident after her win in Miami, admitting her last match wasn't the "greatest memory". And speaking after booking her spot in round two, Osaka revealed that the heckling had been the thing that pushed her to "finally" start therapy.

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"I don't know if I'm allowed to say this, but I finally started talking to a therapist after Indian Wells," the seven-time title winner admitted in her