{"id":267852,"date":"2021-06-04T18:17:42","date_gmt":"2021-06-04T15:17:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/will-smith-expresses-support-for-naomi-osaka-in-moving-instagram-post\/"},"modified":"2021-06-04T18:17:42","modified_gmt":"2021-06-04T15:17:42","slug":"will-smith-expresses-support-for-naomi-osaka-in-moving-instagram-post","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/will-smith-expresses-support-for-naomi-osaka-in-moving-instagram-post\/","title":{"rendered":"#Will Smith expresses support for Naomi Osaka in moving Instagram post"},"content":{"rendered":"

“#Will Smith expresses support for Naomi Osaka in moving Instagram post<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

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The Fresh Prince rides to the rescue. <\/p>\n

Will Smith is the latest celebrity to express support for Naomi Osaka, who abruptly withdrew from the French Open on Monday over mental health concerns. <\/p>\n

Osaka had announced the decision on Twitter<\/a> Monday after getting fined $15,000 for making good on her promise to abstain from press conferences after her Sunday victory at Roland Garros over 63rd-ranked Patricia Maria Tig. The two-time US Open champion later revealed that post-match interviews made her \u201cget huge waves of anxiety.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHey everyone, this isn\u2019t a situation I ever imagined or intended when I posted a few days ago,\u201d the 23-year-old tennis star wrote in the bombshell post. \u201cI think now the best thing for the tournament, the others players and my well-being is that I withdraw so that everyone can get back to focusing on the tennis going on in Paris.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cI never wanted to be a distraction and I accept that my timing was not ideal and my message could have been clearer,\u201d the four-time Grand Slam winner added, before admitting that she\u2019d suffered from severe depression since the 2018 US Open. <\/p>\n

\"Will
Will Smith is playing the father of tennis icons Venus and Serena Williams in the upcoming flick \u201cKing Richard.\u201d<\/figcaption>
AFP via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In response to the athlete\u2019s moving message, Smith had uploaded a photo<\/a> of himself holding a handwritten note. <\/p>\n

\u201cHey Naomi, you are right. They are wrong! I am with you,\u201d wrote the actor, 52, who plays the father of Venus and Serena Williams in the\u00a0upcoming sports flick\u00a0\u201cKing Richard.\u201d<\/p>\n

The \u201cI Am Legend\u201d star\u2019s heartfelt note comes amid an outpouring of support for Osaka by fellow tennis greats, including Serena Williams and Pam Shriver. Venus Williams also offered comforting words.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me personally, how I cope, how I deal with it, was that I know every single person asking me a question can\u2019t play as well as I can and never will,\u201d Williams said. \u201cSo no matter what you say, or what you write, you\u2019ll never light a candle to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, sports app<\/a>arel giant Nike, which signed a sponsorship deal with Osaka in 2019, commended the 23-year-old tennis star for opening up about her mental health struggles.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur thoughts are with Naomi,\u201d they wrote in a statement. \u201cWe support her and recognize her courage in sharing her own mental health experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Others, however, insisted that facing the media<\/a> after major matches was part and parcel of the sport, with six-time Grand Slam champion\u00a0Boris Becker warning\u00a0that Osaka\u2019s actions may have jeopardized her career.<\/p>\n

\"Osaka,
Osaka, 23, had vowed she would not do any press ahead of the tournament.<\/figcaption>
Xinhua News<\/a> Agency via Getty Ima<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n