With the spotlight always shining on athletes of all professional levels, they often shy away from opening up about their mental health struggles that are increasingly worsened by their sport. In fear of appearing weak and not good enough, many athletes try to “tough it out” without actually working through their mental conflicts. With the month of May being Mental Health Awareness Month, it is vital that society works to help lift the stigma off the struggling athletes so that they can adequately focus on bettering themselves. 

Naomi Osaka doubles as the highest-paid female athlete in history and the number one ranked tennis player in the world by the Women’s Tennis Association. Behind her four Grand Slam titles, which she acquired before the age of 23, is a normal female in society who suffers from mental health struggles like the rest of us. Suffering from long bouts of depression and anxiety, Osaka has been one of the first athletes to publicly speak about her mental illnesses and even take time off to recuperate. 

“I’m trying to embrace my mistakes compared to the previous years as well so I’m not that hard on myself,” said Osaka. “If I make a mistake or if I don’t move up to the ball fast enough, I just tell myself not to be mad.”

A similar case for Simone Biles occurred when the seven-time Olympic gymnast medalist had to step away from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics due to mental health reasons. Finding herself with a case of the “twisties,” when a mental block inhibits the gymnasts’ ability to know where they are while in the air, Biles acknowledged the risks of continuing to perform and weighed them in her conscious. Ultimately making the right decision for her own mental and physical health, Biles served as a role model for all others struggling with mental health in correlation to their sport. 

“For me, it was important to include the mental health aspect because I know a lot of people coming out to watch this show go through similar things and to know that I’m not just brushing it aside or hiding it under the rug, that I’m bringing that talking and viewpoint to the forefront,” said Biles. 

With the mental health stigma that has continuously been placed on athletes, it has been proven hard to gather the courage needed to seek help for their struggles. The actions of these two female athletes have opened up the conversation that society needs to be having much more frequent with greater accessibility as well. Nearly one in five adults battle mental illness and its repercussions every day, yet most people are not willing to talk about it or advocate for it. For this aspect of society to change, it takes admired individuals like Osaka and Biles to spark the movement and acceptance from all.