Glow Getter of The Month: Naomi Osaka

Published on December 28, 2025 • Written by Glow Getter Team

Naomi Osaka redefined strength and resilience by prioritizing mental health in professional sports, creating a new blueprint for athletes and advocates everywhere.

When Strength Looks Different Than We Were Taught

For a long time, strength in sports followed a narrow and unforgiving script. You pushed through pain, swallowed nerves, and showed up regardless of what was happening internally. You won, smiled for the cameras, answered questions, and repeated the cycle the next day. The cost rarely mattered. Performance was the priority, and everything else was secondary.

Mental health, when acknowledged at all, lived quietly behind closed doors. It was discussed in hushed locker room conversations or private therapy sessions, never openly on podiums or in press rooms. Athletes were celebrated for their toughness, not their honesty, and vulnerability was often framed as a liability rather than a reality. The expectation was simple and unspoken: whatever you were carrying internally, you carried it alone.

That script cracked in a very public way in 2021, when Naomi Osaka, one of the most successful and recognizable tennis players in the world, made a decision that forced a global reckoning. At the height of her career, under the brightest lights in professional tennis, Osaka chose to prioritize her mental health over expectations placed on her by the sport, the media, and the public.

Her choice was not quiet, and it was not easy. It challenged decades of tradition and exposed how ill-prepared elite sports systems were to support the emotional wellbeing of the athletes they depend on. In doing so, Osaka did more than protect herself. She reshaped how strength, resilience, and success are understood in modern athletics.

This is the story of Naomi Osaka as the Mental Health Advocate, and how her courage created space for a more honest and humane definition of greatness.

The Rise of a Global Icon

Naomi Osaka's ascent in professional tennis was fast and undeniable. Born in Japan and raised in the United States, she was introduced to the sport by her father, who modeled her early training on a belief in confidence, power, and fearlessness rather than conformity. From a young age, her talent stood out. She played with explosive strength and precision, paired with a calm focus that made her seem almost unshakable, even as a teenager competing against far more seasoned opponents.

Wins came early. Titles followed quickly. Before long, Osaka was not just a promising athlete but a global figure. In 2018, she won her first Grand Slam title at the U.S. Open, defeating Serena Williams in a match that immediately placed her at the center of international attention. The victory was historic, but it was also emotionally complex. Instead of a clean celebration, the moment was overshadowed by controversy, public tension, and intense scrutiny. Even in triumph, Osaka was asked to absorb criticism and manage at a level of attention that few first-time champions ever face.

Over the next several years, she continued to prove herself on the court. She won multiple Grand Slam titles, rose to the number one ranking in the world, and established herself as one of the most dominant players of her generation. Her game thrived under pressure, and she consistently performed best on the sport's biggest stages. From the outside, she appeared composed and steady, a champion built for high stakes competition.

With that success came expectation on a massive scale. She was expected to win consistently, to represent sponsors and nations, and to serve as a global ambassador for the sport. She was expected to be articulate, composed, and endlessly available. Every match, every interview, every public appearance carried weight. For fans, this visibility was thrilling. For her, it was relentless.

The pressure did not stop when the match ended. It extended into press rooms, social media, and public commentary that followed her long after she left the stadium. Moments of vulnerability were dissected. Silence was interpreted as attitude. Emotional responses were labeled as weakness. Success became inseparable from scrutiny, and the emotional labor of sustaining that image built quietly, layer by layer.

The Hidden Toll of Performance Culture

Elite athletes train their bodies to endure extraordinary physical stress, but far less attention is given to the emotional and psychological toll of constant performance. Professional sports operate on cycles of preparation, competition, evaluation, and repetition, leaving little room to process disappointment, fear, or exhaustion. You move on quickly or risk falling behind.

For athletes in the public eye, that cycle is intensified by media obligations. Post match interviews often happen at the most emotionally raw moments, when adrenaline is high and bodies are depleted. There is an expectation to be thoughtful, gracious, and composed regardless of what the athlete is experiencing internally. Over time, this environment can wear down even the strongest competitors.

Anxiety, depression, and burnout are not signs of weakness. They are often predictable responses to sustained pressure without adequate support. Yet for years, acknowledging that reality was seen as risky. Speaking openly could threaten sponsorships, public perception, and career longevity. Silence became a survival strategy.

The Decision That Sparked a Cultural Shift

During one of the most prestigious tournaments in tennis, Osaka announced that she would not participate in post-match press conferences to protect her mental health. On the surface, the request was simple. In context, it was revolutionary.

The response was immediate and harsh. Officials threatened fines, and commentators even questioned her professionalism. Critics framed the decision as selfish or irresponsible. What was missing from much of the initial reaction was empathy.

Rather than backing down, Osaka spoke clearly and honestly. She explained that press interactions heightened her anxiety, and she shared her experiences with depression. She articulated something many athletes had long felt but rarely said publicly: the system was not designed with mental health in mind.

In a later essay, Osaka expanded on that choice, explaining that protecting her mental health was not an act of defiance, but one of responsibility to herself and to the longevity of her career.

When the pressure intensified, she made another difficult choice and withdrew from the tournament entirely. This decision was not rooted in a lack of preparation or desire to compete. It was rooted in self awareness and self preservation.

Choosing Health Over Applause

Walking away from a major tournament requires extraordinary self trust. Athletes are conditioned to push through discomfort, override internal signals, and endure at all costs in pursuit of victory. Choosing to step back runs counter to nearly every lesson they are taught.

Osaka's decision challenged that conditioning. She demonstrated that listening to your body and mind is not quitting. It is self preservation. By prioritizing her wellbeing, she forced a broader question into the spotlight: if winning requires sacrificing mental health, is that victory truly worth the cost?

In asking that question, she disrupted the long-held belief that success must come at the expense of humanity.

Redefining What Resilience Really Means

Traditionally, resilience has been framed as endurance. You withstand. You survive. You keep going no matter what. Osaka's story offered a different definition.

Resilience, she showed, can also mean discernment. It can mean knowing when to pause and choosing long term health over short term validation. This perspective resonates far beyond sports, especially in a culture that glorifies hustle and burnout while discouraging rest and reflection.

By modeling a different approach, she made space for a more sustainable understanding of strength, one that includes honesty, care, and balance rather than depletion.

The Ripple Effect Across Sports and Culture

Osaka's decision did not exist in isolation. Soon after, athletes across multiple sports began speaking more openly about their own mental health struggles. Gymnasts, swimmers, basketball players, and runners shared stories that had long been hidden.

The conversation shifted. Mental health moved from the margins to the mainstream. Sports organizations began reevaluating policies, and media outlets reconsidered how they covered athletes in moments of vulnerability. Perhaps most importantly, fans began to listen differently, and the idea that elite performance requires emotional suppression started to lose its grip.

Identity, Visibility, and Added Pressure

Her advocacy also highlighted the complex layers of identity that shape mental health experiences. As a woman and a person of color competing on a global stage, Osaka carried expectations that went far beyond athletic performance. She was asked to represent communities, cultures, and ideals while remaining agreeable and uncontroversial.

These conflicting demands create additional emotional labor that is rarely acknowledged. Mental health does not exist in a vacuum. It is shaped by systemic pressures, representation, and public scrutiny. By speaking openly, Osaka brought attention to how these forces intersect and amplify stress, broadening the conversation with much needed nuance.

A New Blueprint for the Next Generation

The impact of her choices may be felt most deeply by those just beginning their journeys. Young athletes watched someone they admired choose health over optics. Young women saw boundaries modeled at the highest level. Coaches and parents were prompted to reconsider how they define toughness and success.

This matters because the messages young people absorb early shape how they treat themselves later. When success is framed as relentless self sacrifice, burnout becomes inevitable. When success includes care and balance, longevity becomes possible.

The Glow Getter Takeaway

Strength is ambition guided by self-awareness, discipline tempered with compassion, and the wisdom to know when to push forward and when to pause. Naomi Osaka's story reminds us that caring for your mind is not a detour from success. It is part of the journey.

Whether you are pursuing a career goal, building a fulfilling life, or simply trying to stay well in a demanding world, her experience offers a powerful truth: protecting your peace is not a failure. It is an act of courage.

And sometimes, the strongest thing you can do is listen to yourself—and choose health first.