Naomi Osaka has revealed she is seeing a therapist to avoid another on-court meltdown after she was rattled by a heckler at Indian Wells earlier this month.
Four-time Grand Slam champion Osaka was beaten 6-0, 6-4 by Veronika Kudermetova at Indian Wells after a heckler reduced her to tears by shouting ‘Naomi, you suck!’ at the start of the match.
The 24-year-old Japanese has previously spoken about suffering from ‘long bouts of depression’ since winning her first Grand Slam in 2018 and has twice taken breaks from the game after struggling to cope with the pressure of her stardom.
But after beating Astra Sharma in her first-round match at the Miami Open, Osaka revealed she has sought professional help to improve the mental side of her game.
‘I don’t know if I’m allowed to say this, but I finally started talking to a therapist after Indian Wells. It only took like a year after French Open [from which Osaka withdrew],’ Osaka said. ‘I realise how helpful it is. I’m glad that I have people around me that told me to go in that direction.’
She added: ‘I feel like I’ve been trying a lot of different things because I tend to internalise things, and I also want to do everything by myself.’
Osaka spoke of her coach Wim Fissette’s influence in her decision. ‘[He] 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 get a professional to help you out five per cent, that alone is worth it”.’
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Osaka admitted she was taken aback by the heckler at Indian Wells, but insists she is ready if another incident like it occurs.
She said: ‘I think for me, the situation in Indian Wells, I’ve kind of thought back on it. I realise I’ve never been heckled. I’ve been booed, but not like a direct yell-out kind of thing. It kind of took me out of my element.
‘I feel like I’m prepared for it now. I was kind of bracing myself before the match to just know that’s a thing that could happen now. I think I just needed to change my mindset a little.’