Osaka, 23, a four-time grand slam winner, is the world’s highest-paid women’s athlete. But being a champion and highly paid does not mean she is immune to disease. Mental health does not discriminate – anyone in society, no matter how famous they are or what they do, can be afflicted. An estimated one in seven Hongkongers are believed to be sufferers and their conditions are little understood by everyday people because it is in their head rather than being noticeably physical.

Tennis officials were aware of the anxiety that news conferences caused Osaka. A self-professed introvert, she is more at ease communicating on social media than being before a blaze of cameras and forest of microphones. Tournament organisers too often think of players as commodities, using access to them as a condition of contracts to bid up television rights and increase advertising revenue. But while some sports stars handle interviews well, welcoming the attention and shining in the spotlight, others prefer not to field personal questions or have to explain why they won or lost.