“I do hope that people can relate and understand it’s O.K. to not be O.K., and it’s O.K. to talk about it. There are people who can help, and there is usually light at the end of any tunnel.”
— Naomi Osaka, TIME essay ‘It’s O.K. Not to Be O.K.’ (2021)
Naomi Osaka is one of the most decorated tennis players of her generation, a four-time Grand Slam champion who has competed at the highest levels of her sport since her teens. But in 2021, she stepped into a different kind of arena, one that required a different kind of strength. After withdrawing from the French Open citing mental health struggles, she wrote an essay for TIME magazine that was candid, personal, and quietly brave.
In that piece, she did not position herself as a spokesperson or an expert. She simply shared what she had been carrying, and invited others to feel less alone in what they might be carrying too. These words reflect that spirit. They are not a lecture or a campaign slogan. They are the words of someone who knows firsthand how isolating it can feel to struggle in silence, and who chose to speak anyway.
What makes her voice meaningful here is precisely her platform. Athletes, especially those at the top of their field, are so often expected to project invincibility. Osaka gently pushed back against that expectation, and in doing so gave permission to countless people who might not otherwise feel they had it. The reminder that there is usually light at the end of any tunnel is simple, but coming from someone who has lived under enormous public pressure, it carries real weight.
