Naomi Osaka and Michael Phelps on Mental Health & Sports panel at the U.S.Open

[get these nets]

Spoiler: full panel

Naomi Osaka returns to the US Open for a discussion about mental health with Michael Phelps​

Sept 6, 2023
NEW YORK (AP) — Naomi Osaka returned to the U.S. Open — the site of some of the tennis star’s greatest triumphs on a court and some difficult moments off it — for the first time in about a year to participate in a panel about mental health in sports, a topic she helped focus a spotlight on two years ago.
“For me coming back here, it means a lot. This room, in particular. There were some tears shed. A lot,” Osaka, who won two of her four major championships at Flushing Meadows, said with a chuckle in the Grand Slam tournament’s main interview room. “I feel a lot of joy coming back here. It’s kind of like seeing an old friend I haven’t seen in a long time.”

Wednesday’s gathering, which also included Michael Phelps, a 23-time Olympic gold medalist swimmer, and U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, touched on topics such as loneliness, connecting with others via a “buddy system,” the role of social media in mental health struggles and parenting.

 

[Afro]

Damn, that was a good panel. Hope they do more of this.