The
Japanese player withdrew from May's French Open after avoiding news conferences
to protect her mental health.
The
four-time grand slam champion from Japan revealed she had suffered "long
bouts of depression" since winning the US Open in 2018.
Osaka says
she has not changed her stance on press conferences and feels she had been
unfairly scrutinised.
The world
number two wrote in Time magazine: "I communicated that I wanted to skip
press conferences at Roland Garros to exercise self-care and preservation of my
mental health. I stand by that.
"Athletes
are humans. Tennis is our privileged profession, and of course there are
commitments off the court that coincide. But I can't imagine another profession
where a consistent attendance record [I have missed one press conference in my
seven years on tour] would be so harshly scrutinised.
"Perhaps
we should give athletes the right to take a mental break from media scrutiny on
a rare occasion without being subject to strict sanctions.
"In
any other line of work, you would be forgiven for taking a personal day here
and there, so long as it's not habitual. You wouldn't have to divulge your most
personal symptoms to your employer; there would likely be HR measures
protecting at least some level of privacy.
"In my
case, I felt under a great amount of pressure to disclose my symptoms - frankly
because the press and the tournament did not believe me. I do not wish that on
anyone and hope that we can enact measures to protect athletes, especially the
fragile ones.
"I
also do not want to have to engage in a scrutiny of my personal medical history
ever again. So I ask the press for some level of privacy and empathy next time
we meet."
Osaka is
feeling the benefits of a break and is relishing representing her country in
the Olympics on home soil in Tokyo.
"After
taking the past few weeks to recharge and spend time with my loved ones, I have
had the time to reflect, but also to look forward," the 23-year-old said.
"I
could not be more excited to play in Tokyo. An Olympic Games itself is special,
but to have the opportunity to play in front of the Japanese fans is a dream
come true. I hope I can make them proud."