Naomi Osaka reveals which activity helped her recover from mental health struggles

Tennis star Naomi Osaka revealed journaling has become a regular part of her self-care routine.

Osaka took a break from tennis after crashing out of the US Open in the third round in September.

Following her loss to Leylah Fernandez, the 24-year-old revealed winning no longer left her feeling happy, and losing left her feeling “very sad”.

Osaka returned to the court at the Australian Open, and although she lost to Amanda Anisimova in the third round, the Japanese player seemed more relaxed and carefree.

In an interview with Good Morning America, Osaka explained how speaking out about her mental health struggles made her feel better.

“It was important to me to be public because… I think it gives me clarity,” she said.

“Just saying out loud that I’ll take a break and I’ll come back when I am truly in love with the sport and I know what I want to do here; it gave me time to reset myself.”

The four-time Grand Slam champion also spoke about how important she found journaling.

“Lately, I’ve been writing in my journal, and I think that that keeps my thoughts in order,” she said. “I feel like it gives me clarity on what I want to do and what I want to accomplish.”

Tennis star @NaomiOsaka shares life lessons from on and off the court. https://t.co/gepy0HjpWh pic.twitter.com/fus71msZ9p

Osaka had already skipped both the French Open and Wimbledon last year, and went out of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in the third round.

As a result of her lack of playing time, the former world number one has slipped down to 85th in the rankings.

Osaka triumphed in her first three matches of 2022, dropping just one set while playing at the Melbourne Summer Set.

She then withdrew from the tournament with an abdominal injury, likely to ensure she was