"It's not taboo anymore" - Four time major winning golfer McIlroy praises Osaka for speaking out on mental health
WTA
Rory McIlroy is competing at the Tokyo Olympic Games in the golf event but with a lot of talk on mental health after Simone Biles withdrew from the all-around final in gymnastics, he praised both her and Naomi Osaka.
McIlroy said seeing it from the lens of someone who lives in the USA, he sees the pressure these athletes are under and believes in the case of Osaka that she was right to do what she did at the French Open.
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“I live in the United States and anything that came on the TV with NBC or commercials about the Olympics, it was Simone Biles, it was Simone Biles’ Olympics, right?” McIlroy said.
“So to have the weight of, what is it, total six million people combined in the island of Ireland. You got 300 whatever million, so the weight on her shoulders is massive.
"And just as I thought Naomi Osaka was right to do what she did at the French Open and take that time off and get herself in the right place, I one hundred percent agree with what Simone is doing as well.
“I mean you have to put yourself in the best position physically and mentally to be at your best and if you don't feel like you're at that or you're in that position then you're going to have to make those decisions. I'm certainly very impressed, especially with those two women to do what they did and put themselves first.”
“There’s been a few athletes that have really spoken up, Michael Phelps, Kevin Love, Naomi Osaka, Simone Biles. I mean the conversation, it's not taboo anymore. People can talk about it just as somebody has a knee or elbow injury, if you don't feel right 100 percent right mentally that's an injury too.”
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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