Mind Games

Deciding to be an athlete is, in some ways, choosing a life of pain and pressure. Of course, there’s also achievement, passion and satisfaction but, as most elite sportspeople will tell you, the pressure to perform looms large in their minds at some point.

Whether that pressure comes from well-meaning family or fans, or whether it’s the result of the double-edged sword that is media attention, it can add a heavy weight to an athlete’s shoulders. This point was emphasised recently by world tennis champion, Naomi Osaka, who declined to join the press conferences at this year’s French Open, stating they gave her “huge waves of anxiety”.

Her decision incited backlash from event organisers and the media, and it subsequently contributed to her dropping out of the tournament. where she wrote “I do hope that people can relate and understand it’s OK to not be OK, and it’s OK to talk about it.”