When it comes to injuries, there’s physical proof that athletes can point to and even give an estimate of when they’ll be back. However, mental health is still a bit of a taboo subject. Here are the highlights: 

• Naomi Osaka was the first athlete to walk away from a major tournament with a physical injury, which has caused uproar not only in the sports world but social media.
• While Olympian Michael Phelps vaguely mentioned mental-health issues and Jerry West wrote about his struggles way past his playing days, this is something a bit different because you have a tennis star in her prime speaking on her anxiety.
• Dr. Wendy Borlabi, a psychologist based in Chicago who works with professional, high school, and college athletes, says that with an injury like an ACL tear it’s 6-8 months until an athlete is back on the field. However, mental health is something that’s ongoing. 
• Everyone is different because there’s not a one-size-fits-all thing when it comes to someone’s mental health. However, the more it’s out in the open, the better it is to help other people. 
• There’s sort of a Catch 22 when it comes to athletes because they have the fame, they’re more visible. However, when it comes to a taboo subject like speaking out on things like depression and anxiety, it’s a chance they’ll get ridiculed because the common person will say “it comes with the territory.” 
• Dr. Ross, a psychologist based out of San Diego who works with college, professional, and Olympic athletes, says that athletes are put on a pedestal because of their above-average talent. However, they are still humans first before the accolades. 
• In Osaka’s situation, a lot of her contemporaries defended the requirement that players engage with the media for the overall growth of the game. However, there are many that still dislike this dynamic. 
• However, this may be the spark needed to get more athletes to speak candidly on the subject of mental health.