Naomi Osaka puts her mental health first.
“I think most people don’t know that mental health is as important as your physical health, and in some ways, it might be more important,” the soft-spoken 26-year-old tennis star tells PEOPLE exclusively as Maybelline announces her as the brand’s first Brave Together ambassador.
Having braved through several vulnerable moments in the public eye — including revealing she’s struggled with depression since 2018, her withdrawal from the 2021 French Open and Wimbledon tournaments to preserve her mental health and a disheartening moment with a spectator in 2022 that nearly brought her to tears — Osaka says she’s “fortunate” to have “been learning about mental health for quite a couple years now,” and she’s become “more prepared” with tools and resources.
The four-time Grand Slam champion utilizes meditation and “common practices like that,” says Osaka, who travels with a mental health coach when she’s competing. “I wouldn’t really call her a therapist, but basically she’s someone that helps me …