Tom Brady Has ‘Compassion and Empathy’ for Naomi Osaka amid Mental Health Break

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady said he has "compassion and empathy" for Naomi Osaka as she takes time away from tennis to focus on her mental health.

Brady explained on HBO's The Shop on Friday he "went through a lot of things" in his late teens and early 20s that he "didn't know how to deal with."

"Now as someone who's twice her age, you have compassion and empathy for that," the 43-year-old NFL superstar said about the 23-year-old tennis sensation. "You hope that she can deal with that, because you wouldn't want that to take away from her true joy of playing tennis."

Osaka announced in late May she didn't plan to take part in the mandatory press conferences during the 2021 French Open, saying she felt "people have no regard for athletes' mental health."

The French Open, one of tennis' four Grand Slam events, fined the Japan native $15,000 for not meeting her media requirements after her first-round win over Patricia Maria Tig. She subsequently announced her withdrawal from the tournament and noted she'd "take some time away from the court."

Osaka confirmed through her agency last week she wouldn't take part in the Wimbledon Championships beginning Monday, but she's planning to return to the WTA Tour before the Summer Olympics, which will take place in her home country starting in late July.

"Naomi won't be playing Wimbledon this year," the statement read. "She is taking some personal time with friends and family. She will be ready for the Olympics and is excited to play in front of her home fans."

Brady said on The Shop he understands the difficulty of handling press conferences, referencing former Pro Bowl running back Marshawn Lynch's famed "I'm just here so I don't get fined" media session before Super Bowl XLIX in 2015, but he also explained why he hasn't stopped doing them during a two-decade career.

"No, because I think you're in an enterprise and I'm an employee of that enterprise. You know, I'm not my own entrepreneur where I can make my own individual choices," he said. "... You're still in this structured system, so you gotta feel like you gotta play by—at least my own [view] is 'I have to play by their rules.'"

Brady captured his seventh Super Bowl championship in February to cap his first season with the Bucs after 20 years with the New England Patriots.

Osaka has already secured four major titles, two in the Australian Open and two in the U.S. Open, and will likely be the favorite to take home the gold medal in Tokyo at the Summer Olympic Games.