An app that bills itself as helping with "sleep, relaxation and meditation" says it is showing support for Naomi Osaka by offering to pay fines for tennis players who don't fulfill 2021 Grand Slam media obligations for mental health reasons.
Calm also tweeted on Wednesday that it would donate $15,000 — the amount Osaka was fined for skipping her postmatch news conference at the French Open — to a group in France that it says works "in the mental health space.”
But this is bigger than any individual player.
— Calm (@calm) June 2, 2021
Calm will also pay the fine for players opting out of 2021 Grand Slam media appearances for mental health reasons, and we will match the fine with a $15,000 donation to @LaureusSport.#MentalHealthIsHealth 🧠
Osaka is a four-time major champion and the world's No. 2-ranked tennis player who said she didn't want to speak to the press at Roland Garros.
Also Read | Naomi Osaka’s uneasy rush into the spotlight
After she was fined and threatened by leaders of all four Grand Slam tournaments with disqualification or suspension, Osaka announced she would withdraw from the French Open and take a break from competition.
She revealed she experiences "huge waves of anxiety" before meeting with the media and said she has "suffered long bouts of depression."
Deccan Herald is on WhatsApp Channels | Join now for Breaking News & Editor's Picks