'We love you!' - Naomi Osaka got a warm reception at Miami Open and says she started seeing therapist after Indian Wells

Naomi Osaka said that speaking to a therapist has been helpful in changing her mindset and allowing her to reset. Speaking in her first match since being heckled at Indian Wells last week, Osaka had pledged to not let anything get the better of her emotions and performance today. Ad/> The 24-year-old was subject to abuse from the crowd in California when a spectator shouted ‘Naomi, you suck’ after the opening game of her 6-0, 6-4 defeat against the No.

21 seed, Veronika Kudermetova. WTA MiamiOsaka kickstarts Miami campaign with straight sets win over Sharma5 HOURS AGO The Japanese player was clearly affected by the abuse and held back tears in her post-match interview, saying that being heckled here brought up memories of Venus and Serena Williams being heckled in 2001. She said she has started working with a therapist to deal with some of issues she faced in the Californian tournament.

«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 she announced she was taking a break). »She kind of told me strategies and stuff.

I realise 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 to prioritise her mental wellbeing was something of a watershed for conversations about mental health among elite athletes.