Naomi Osaka started talking with therapist following Indian Wells exit

Naomi Osaka has revealed she started talking to a therapist following her exit from Indian Wells earlier this month.

The Japanese star was heckled by a member of the crowd during her third-round match in California, who shouted “Naomi, you suck” at the former world number one. The incident visibly affected Osaka, who was seen talking to the chair umpire at various points throughout the match.

Following the contest, the 24-year-old addressed the crowd and admitted the heckling impacted her because of what happened to the Williams sisters at Indian Wells in the past. The incident is the last thing Osaka would have wanted, given her well-documented mental health problems across the last 12 months.

At the French Open last year, Osaka withdrew from the competition after revealing she was suffering from bouts of depression. And though she returned later in the season to play at the Olympics and the US Open, she then announced her hiatus from tennis, following an early exit in New York.

After the win over Astra Sharma Osaka revealed that she has started talking to a therapist:

“I don’t know if I’m allowed to say this, but I finally started talking to a therapist after Indian Wells. It only took like a year after the French Open. I realise how helpful it is. I’m glad that I have people around me that told me to go in that direction.”