Rory McIlroy gives support to Naomi Osaka as tennis star left in tears after US Open exit and casts doubt over future

Golf star Rory McIlroy showed his support for Naomi Osaka after she opened up on her mental health problems.

Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam winner, crashed out of the US Open last week when she lost to 18-year-old Leylah Fernandez.

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The 23-year-old was the defending champion, but has struggled in 2021 and has previously spoken about suffering from depression and anxiety.

She withdrew from the French Open due to the her mental health and the issues surrounding her being forced to hold press conferences.

Osaka also withdrew from Wimbledon, but returned to play at the Olympics and US Open.

After losing to the teenager, Osaka said she would take a break from tennis and admitted she did not know when she would play her next match.

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She said: “I think I’m going to take a break from playing for a while.

“How do I go around saying this? I feel like for me recently when I win I don’t feel happy. I feel more like a relief. And then when I lose, I feel very sad. I don’t think that’s normal. I didn’t really want to cry.”

McIlroy has previously opened up on how he has struggled with his mental health in the past and showed his support for what Osaka is going through.

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He told Sky Sports: "I've tried really hard and I spoke about this quite a lot in 2019 about separating who I am as a golfer and who I am as a person and trying to not let that define me, and it seems what Naomi is going through at the minute is that same thing.

"How can I play tennis and enjoy it and not let the results define who I am? I think that's what she's going through right now and I think everyone just needs to let her have time to figure that out.

"She seems like a really smart girl, and hopefully she'll be able to do it and come back and start enjoying the game just like when she picked the racket up when she was a little girl."

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