BROOKLYN  — Some of the die-hard tennis fans at the McCarren Park Tennis Courts not only play tennis they follow it too.

One of the players Nana Eduafo admires the most — Naomi Osaka.

“Her forehand, her backhand — and she’s very strong, you know, on the court,” said Eduafo. 

He now admires Osaka’s strength off the court after her decision to withdraw from the French Open.

“What I really admire about her — she brought mental health issues to the forefront of everything that is happening,” said Eduafo.

Osaka explained on social media that she decided to pull out of the tournament to protect her mental well-being and that she has suffered from depression since the U.S. Open in 2018.

Osaka first announced she would skip her mandatory post-match press conferences because of her mental health. Tournament organizers fined her $15,000 and threatened to expel her from future Grand Slams. 

“For her to make that decision — obviously, tennis is her career, it’s her life — for her to make that decision, everyone should respect it and give her the space,” said tennis fan Varun Deedwaniya.

Some mental health experts say Osaka's openness could help fight some of the stigmas that still exist with mental health issues.

“You don’t necessarily hear people calling in to their employers saying I need to take a week off, I need to take three days off to take care of my mental well-being and my mental health, and I think we need to work towards getting to that place,“ said Dr. Amanda Fialk, chief of clinical services at The Dorm, an organization that treats young adults suffering from mental health issues.

Osaka’s decision is getting lots of support from athletes from all sports all over the world, and support from some amateur athletes on these courts in Brooklyn.

“I really respect her decision to pull out and take a stance against the pressure of society and taking care of herself first, which is most important,” said tennis fan Samantha Jay.