TOKYO: Tennis governing bodies take mental health issues extremely seriously but are aware that more needs to be done to support players in that area, International Tennis Federation chief David Haggerty told Reuters.
"As a normal course of business we work with the men's and women's tours together to really make sure we are there for the players, that they have the ability to talk to someone to get help when they need it in the proper way.When Osaka first made the stance that she would not speak to the media at the French Open to protect her mental health, organisers of the clay court grand slam fined her US$15,000 after she boycotted the post match news conference.
That forced Osaka to withdraw from the French Open and she also revealed how she had struggled to deal with depression for a number of years. It was only then tennis authorities admitted they needed to do more to help players.Haggerty said the ITF's sports science and medical commission had started looking at new ways to address the issue, which he thought had been compounded for some players by the global health crisis.
"I think the athletes after 15 to 18 months of lockdown in sport, it's a difficult time. We need to be there for the athletes and certainly tennis takes it very seriously."