It is OK to not be OK: 12 sports personalities who have spoken out about mental health

The Japanese tennis player withdrew from both the French Open and Wimbledon this year over mental health concerns. She also said that she would not do any press conferences during the French Open as they tend to worsen the stress a player may feel.

In an Instagram note, Naomi Osaka announced that she had been suffering long bouts of depression since 2018 and had a hard time coping.

In an essay in the Time magazine, explaining the move, Osaka wrote, “It’s O.K. to not be O.K., and it’s O.K. to talk about it.”

Osaka’s performance during the Olympics was not up to the mark and she crashed out of the tournament, early on in the third round.

Image credit: Japan's Naomi Osaka leaves the court after being beaten by Czech Republic's Marketa Vondrousova in their Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games women's singles third round tennis match at the Ariake Tennis Park in Tokyo on July 27, 2021. (Photo by Tiziana FABI / AFP) (Photo by TIZIANA FABI/AFP via Getty Images)

American swimmer Michael Phelps seemed to have conquered all after his stunning performance during the 2008 Beijing Olympics. However, after getting photographed smoking marijuana in 2009 and being arrested for driving under influence in 2014, Phelps’ image took a bettering.

Opening up about his mental battles, Phelps recalled being in a really dark place where he did not want to be alive anymore. The winner of 28 Olympics medals said that he would push himself really hard for each Olympics and then fall into depression post that.

The worst phase was after the 2012 Olympics when he locked himself in his room for 3-5 days, not eating, barely sleeping and not wanting to be alive. Phelps took therapy and has since spoken about how the sessions have helped him.

Through the Michael Phelps Foundation, Phelps has tried to help those suffering from mental health issues.

Image credit: (Photo by Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for LA28)

Australian cricketer Glenn Maxwell hoped that his arm would break when he got hit at the nets before Australia’s 2015 World Cup encounter against South Africa so that he could get a break from cricket. When he found out that his arm had not broken, Maxwell recounts feeling angry at himself and at other people.

During a later series against Sri Lanka, Maxwell was not able to enjoy himself despite delivering a good performance. After having an emotional conversation with Australian coach Justin Langer, Maxwell decided to take a break in October 2019, opting out of the remainder of the T20I series with Sri Lanka, to focus on his mental health.

After a two month recuperation period, Maxwell returned to the side and delivered an outstanding performance, earning him a Man of the Match for Melbourne Stars in the Australian Big Bash League

Image credit: (Photo by Brett Keating/Speed Media/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Former England captain, Marcus Trescothick cut short his tour of India, in 2006. While he initially said that he was suffering from a virus, Trescothick later revealed that he had been suffering from anxiety attacks.

While Trescothick returned to county cricket afterwards, recurrences of his condition forced him to declare an early retirement from international cricket in 2008. Trescothick has documented his struggles in his autobiography, Coming Back to Me.

Image credit: (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

The 32-year-old England wicketkeeper, considered to be among the best in the game, took a year out of her game in 2016 to focus on her mental health. She returned to the side in 2017 where she played a solid game during the World Cup, which England went on to win.

However, Taylor retired from international cricket in 2019, as she tried to battle loneliness and anxiety through the last three years of her career. Taylor was ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year thrice and the 2014 Women’s ODI cricketer of the year.

Image credit: Cricket - Women's Ashes - First One Day International - England v Australia - Fischer County Ground, Leicester, Britain - July 2, 2019 England's Sarah Taylor celebrates the wicket of Australia's Nicole Bolton Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs

He may be one of the greatest tennis players of all time, but the former world no 1, Andre Agassi never loved the game.

In his autobiography titled Open, where he writes about his use of the highly addictive drug, crystal meth, Agassi revealed that his father had pushed him into pursuing tennis at the young age of 13, by enrolling him in a tennis boarding school.

During a period of deep depression, in 1997, Agassi turned to drugs and started using crystal meth. Agassi’s revelation saw many from the tennis world criticise him and demand that he return the trophies he had won during the period.

Agassi credits his wife, former tennis number 1, Steffi Graff as his pillar of support and has helped him deal with his health.

Image credit: Andre Agassi of the U.S. blows a kiss to the crowd after his loss against Germany's Benjamin Becker at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York, September 3, 2006. Agassi was playing in his last U.S. Open. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque (UNITED STATES)

The South African born English cricketer was at the peak of his career during Ashes 2013-14. However, he suffered from such anxiety over the thought that he would have to play a game against Australia, that he thought of ways of avoiding it, including even driving onto a tree.

"The skill of playing cricket was something I was starting to dread, which I had loved my whole life until then. It was terrifying as it felt so foreign and you are so exposed with cameras everywhere. It was tricky to get some alone time and make sense of it all,” he said in a Sky Sports Cricket Podcast.

Trotts continued to struggle with the game and retired in 2018.

Image credit: AFP PHOTO/IAN KINGTON -RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE (Photo credit should read IAN KINGTON/AFP via Getty Images)

The Olympic gold medallist and retired swimmer has been suffering from mental health issues ever since he was a teenager. Ian Thorpe first publicly admitted to suffering from mental health problems in 2012.

In his autobiography, This Is Me, Thorpe reveals that he was heavily dependent on alcohol and was even contemplating suicide. In 2006, Thorpe had announced his retirement from swimming, citing a lack of motivation to compete. He then made a comeback and tried to qualify for the 2012 Olympics, but did not succeed.

In 2014, Thorpe was admitted to a rehabilitation centre after he was found dazed near his parents’ home. Today the retired swimmer, along with former cricketer Shane Watson and psychologist Dr Jacques Dellaire, run Beon, a performance coaching business for executives and teams which helps them deal with stress and anxiety.

Image credit: SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 10: Ian Thorpe attends Gold Dinner 2021 on June 10, 2021 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Don Arnold/WireImage)

After losing in the third round of the 2006 Australian Open title to 17th seed Daniela Hantuchová, ace tennis player Serena Williams blamed her knee injury, lack of training and a lack of fitness for her loss. She, however, later revealed in her autobiography that she had been suffering from depression, as well.

Williams stayed away from professional tennis for six months and saw a therapist, which helped her get back to her game. Williams has also had to deal with postpartum emotions after the birth of her daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr.

She revealed that she worried that she was not being a good mom and was not with her daughter enough, though she was with her every day.

Image credit: Serena Williams retires from her first round ladies' singles match against Aliaksandra Sasnovich on centre court after picking up an injury on day two of Wimbledon at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, Wimbledon. Picture date: Tuesday June 29, 2021. (Photo by Adam Davy/PA Images via Getty Images)

English-Welsh footballer, singer, producer and actor Vinnie Jones revealed that he was seeing a therapist to cope with the grief that he felt after the death of his wife due to cancer. Jones has said that he is waiting to be reunited with his wife. He advises people going through grief and depression to keep busy and talk to someone.
Image credit: Vinnie Jones the former soccer star and Hollywood actor on the eighth green during the second round of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at Kingsbarns Golf Links on September 27, 2019 in St Andrews, United Kingdom. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)

English all-rounder Andrew Flintoff revealed that he suffered from anxiety and depression after the English team's defeat in the hands of Australia in the 2006/7 tour of Australia, after a successful 2005 Ashes series. Flintoff spoke about how he found himself crying while having a drink with his father on Christmas Eve of 2006 after the side lost the Ashes series.

Flintoff revealed that he had been suffering from depression and was in a state of mind where he did not want to get out of bed, let alone meet people. Flintoff has been vocal about the need to speak about mental health in cricket, and to avoid calling it a ‘stigma’

Image credit: (AUSTRALIA OUT) The Ashes 2006-2007. A glum English cricket captain Andrew Flintoff waits for a batting session in the nets at the WACA Ground ahead of the Third Test against Australia in Perth. Australia lead the series 2-0, 13 December 2006. SMH SPORT Picture by TIM CLAYTON (Photo by Fairfax Media via Getty Images/Fairfax Media via Getty Images via Getty Images)

After Maxwell admitted to his mental health issues, Indian skipper Virat Kohli came out in support of the Australian cricketer and also shared his experience with mental health struggles. Kohli spoke about going through a phase in his career in 2014 when he did not know what to do, how to say it or whom to communicate to.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of India's test against Bangladesh in November 2019, Kohli said, "To be honest, I couldn't have said I am not feeling great mentally and I want to get away from the game because you never know how that's taken.” Kohli also said that mental health should be given great importance and that it should be alright for team members to take a break from the game to recuperate.

Image credit: India's Virat Kohli reacts as he walks back to the pavilion at the end of New Zealand's innings on the fifth day of the ICC World Test Championship Final between New Zealand and India at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton, southwest England on June 22, 2021. - RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE (Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE (Photo by GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images)