Naomi Osaka has made her first public appearance since withdrawing from the French Open and Wimbledon to focus on her mental health.
The 23-year-old tennis phenom attended the 2021 ESPYs in NYC with her boyfriend Cordae and took home the award for “Best Female Athlete.”
“I just really want to not say a long speech because I’m a bit nervous … I know this year has been really, it hasn’t even finished, but it’s been really tough for a lot of us. For me, I just want to say, I really love you guys and this is my first ESPYs so it’s really cool to be surrounded by all these incredible athletes. I think all of you guys are really cool and I watch some of you on TV so it’s really surreal to be here and yeah, thank you so much and I really appreciate it,” Osaka said humbly.
Osaka, who has been very open about her battles with depression was fined $15,000 earlier this year after she skipped out on a post-match press conference following her first French Open victory in May.
Osaka then shocked the sports world when she decided to continue to focus on her mental wellness by pulling out of the 2021 Wimbledon tournament in June.
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