Pushed by Players, the N.F.L. Works to Embrace Mental Health

By BY ANNA KATHERINE CLEMMONS from NYT Sports N.F.L. teams have standardized support for mental wellness as their players fight social stigmas and the league’s “just play through it” ethos.https://nyti.ms/3cUSMck

‘When I Was Playing, No One Really Talked About Mental Health.’

By BY KEN BELSON from NYT Sports Jonathan Martin faced bullying in his N.F.L. locker room and depression. He will donate his brain to C.T.E. research to determine if head trauma contributed to his mental health woes.https://nyti.ms/2Z62MMM

Mardy Fish Can Relate to What Naomi Osaka Is Going Through

By BY CHRISTOPHER CLAREY from NYT Sports Anxiety forced Fish to withdraw from the 2012 U.S. Open. Now he is open about his mental health and works with the U.S.T.A. to provide more resources for players.https://nyti.ms/3BJzwcj

Why Does Playing Tennis Make So Many Pros Miserable?

By BY MATTHEW FUTTERMAN from NYT Sports Naomi Osaka is taking an indefinite break from tennis as she struggles to find meaning and joy from playing. It’s a sadly familiar script for the sport.https://nyti.ms/2Yn5Yml

How a Runner Turned a Nightmare Into a Great Olympic Moment

By BY TALYA MINSBERG from NYT Sports Falling on the Olympic stage is an unthinkable scenario for any athlete. Isaiah Jewett turned it into something else entirely.https://nyti.ms/3mH7NVk

Naomi Osaka Perseveres, Pushes Into the Round of 16 in Cincinnati

By BY CHRISTOPHER CLAREY from NYT Sports It was a reaffirming victory for Osaka, who dropped the first set but kept her composure and found a way to impose her power game on Coco Gauff.https://nyti.ms/3xYudng

Naomi Osaka Struggles in Return to Tournament News Conferences

By BY CHRISTOPHER CLAREY from NYT Sports Osaka, who quit the French Open in May by saying press commitments worsened her anxiety, burst into tears and left the room after a question her agent said was asked “to intimidate.”https://nyti.ms/3yVp4NQ

Olympian Anna Cockrell has a special fan base: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

By BY ALEXANDRA E. PETRI from NYT Sports Anna Cockrell’s brother, Ross, is a cornerback for the team. On Monday, the Buccaneers took a break from training to watch her advance to the 400-meter hurdle finals.https://nyti.ms/3CkfdDF

Olympian Anna Cockrell has a special fan base: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

By BY ALEXANDRA E. PETRI from NYT Sports Anna Cockrell’s brother, Ross, is a cornerback for the team. On Monday, the Buccaneers took a break from training to watch her advance to the 400-meter hurdle finals.https://nyti.ms/3A0ZC9W

Simone Biles and the Power of ‘No’

By BY KURT STREETER from NYT Sports By withdrawing from competition citing concerns over her mental health, Biles showed that resisting expectations can be more powerful than persisting through them.https://nyti.ms/3ycuWSE

Should a Mental Health Emergency Derail a Dangerous Climb?

By BY KELLEY MANLEY from NYT Sports A mountain climber with bipolar disorder had an episode that thwarted his team’s plan to summit the world’s seventh-highest peak, prompting a debate about mental illness in adventure sports.https://nyti.ms/2UGg7Zs

At Wimbledon, Emma Raducanu’s Withdrawal Renews Focus on Well Being

By BY CHRISTOPHER CLAREY from NYT Sports The British teenager, a sudden sensation after making the fourth round, struggled with her breathing and retired from the match, a reminder of the intense pressures on elite athletes.https://nyti.ms/3AAnG4B

Physically and Mentally Taxed, Olympic Hopefuls Near the Finish

By BY SCOTT CACCIOLA from NYT Sports The pandemic year disrupted athletes’ training routines, leaving many depressed, anxious and seeking help.https://nyti.ms/3jKE5O3

At the U.S. Open, Matthew Wolff Is Having Fun Again

By BY BILL PENNINGTON from NYT Sports The promising young golfer took two months off the PGA Tour when he stopped enjoying the game and was worried about his mental health. He says he’s thrilled to be back.https://nyti.ms/3gAu7fQ

Naomi Osaka’s Uneasy Rush Into the Spotlight

By BY CHRISTOPHER CLAREY from NYT Sports Since emerging as an elite tennis player and Grand Slam tournament champion in 2018, Osaka has experienced success and anguish, both of which played out in public. It is “a lot to put on anyone’s plate.”https://nyti.ms/3uNfzxo

A Shocking Exit and a Sad Day for Tennis

By BY CHRISTOPHER CLAREY from NYT Sports Naomi Osaka, a superstar in the sport, pulled out of the French Open after she was fined for skipping a news conference. Did it have to end this way?https://nyti.ms/3yPXli0

Naomi Osaka Quits the French Open After News Conference Dispute

By BY MATTHEW FUTTERMAN from NYT Sports The four-time Grand Slam tournament winner wrote on Instagram that she had suffered from bouts of depression since 2018 and will “take some time” away from the tennis court.https://nyti.ms/3wGzWgY

Naomi Osaka Quits the French Open After News Conference Dispute

By BY MATTHEW FUTTERMAN from NYT Sports The four-time Grand Slam tournament winner wrote on Instagram that she had suffered from bouts of depression since 2018 and will “take some time” away from the tennis court.https://nyti.ms/3c71rZp

Naomi Osaka Quits the French Open

By BY MATTHEW FUTTERMAN from NYT Sports The four-time Grand Slam winner was fined after refusing to appear at a news conference. She wrote on Instagram that she had suffered from bouts of depression since 2018.https://nyti.ms/3uCNTeC

At the French Open, Naomi Osaka Seeks Comfort on Clay and No Interviews

By BY CHRISTOPHER CLAREY from NYT Sports The world No. 2 has said she won’t talk to journalists at the tournament, which begins on Sunday, but she faces a bigger obstacle: her record on clay.https://nyti.ms/3p0C5S3