During an interview with PBS NewsHour, 18-time Grand Slam champion Chris Everet was asked if she freely addresses mental health issues during her playing days. Evert said: “Conversation about mental health, protecting your privacy, all that kind of stuff, do you ever look at it and say: I wish I had.
I grew up in the ’60s, played in the ’70s. Those were taboo subjects. I didn’t you talked. You didn’t talk about being gay. And you didn’t talk about controversial topics at all. That was how society was, the culture was, here in America, maybe here in the world.
But now women are just owning themselves and yes they’re empowering. And we’re increasingly achieving equality with men.” Evert also said how she appreciated the contribution of Naomi Osaka, Serena Williams and others in evolving American culture, making it more inclusive and supportive.
Naomi Osaka came back to talk
In a recent interview, Naomi Osaka said that the change of mindset happened during the Tokyo Olympics, where she saw many athletes she knew and admired concerned about her situation, which made her realize that she was not alone: “I am stayed at my house for a while after it all happened.
But then I went to the Olympics and there were so many athletes who approached me and I was really surprised and honored because these are people I see on TV and I like, I felt really grateful and supported.” For Osaka, this break was fundamental: “I have always been taught to resist or overcome it, and I think it is a very valuable lesson because she has helped me overcome many things in life.
But there was a moment when I said to myself: Why? And not in a bad way, but if I feel like this, why should I keep moving forward, when I can face it and fix it and then continue on with my journey?”
