Looks like Will Smith, Kerry Washington and Serena Williams weren’t the only ones praising Naomi Osaka for her recent decision to withdraw from the French Open. Turns out, Meghan Markle also privately sent her support.
Back in May, the 23-year-old tennis champion decided not to participate in standard post-match news conferences for mental health reasons and therefore was fined $15,000 for not abiding by the media requirements. Osaka then released a statement revealing that she would not continue to participate in the Open in order to take care of her mental health.
“Hey everyone, this isn’t a situation I ever imagined or intended when I posted a few days ago. I think now the best thing for the tournament, the other players and my well-being is that I withdraw so that everyone can get back to focusing on the tennis going on in Paris,” Osaka wrote in a message on social media.
Now, Osaka is taking some time to thank those who came to her defense in an essay for TIME Magazine titled It’s O.K. Not to Be O.K. To our surprise, she even called out Meghan Markle.