Patrick McEnroe praises Naomi Osaka, Amanda Anisimova for talking about mental health

Patrick McEnroe is applauding Naomi Osaka and Amanda Anisimova for publicly opening up about their mental health in the past as that started certain conversations and helped other players share their personal struggles and seek help.

It was four and a half years ago when Osaka announced she would not be conducting press conferences at the French Open. Following her first-round win and receiving massive criticism and scrutiny, the former world No. 1 revealed that she was battling depression and anxiety for years, and took a break from tennis.

In the spring of 2023, Anisimova – who was just 17 when she made the 2019 French Open semifinal – put her tennis career on a pause because she wanted to address her mental health. 

McEnroe: I’m really glad players like Osaka and Anisimova are talking about mental health

“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,'” McEnroe said on The Daily Show. 

Now, Osaka is 27 – has become a mother – she recently made the Montreal final and the US Open semifinal – as well as returned to 14 in the world. On the other side, 24-year-old Anisimova is now fulfilling her potential after making back-to-back Grand Slam finals at Wimbledon and the US Open, and achieving a career-high ranking of No. 4 in the world.

“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,” McEnroe added.

Pogledajte ovu objavu na Instagramu.

Objavu dijeli The Daily Show (@thedailyshow)

In one of her recent interviews, Anisimova noted that she didn’t have any regrets about taking a break from tennis in 2023 because it helped her in the long run.