Following Break From Tennis, Naomi Osaka to Feature in LeBron James’ Talk Show

World No.8 Naomi Osaka recently suffered a shocking third-round exit at US Open 2021. The Japanese star failed to defend her title in New York and lost to Leylah Fernandez in three sets.

Even though Naomi Osaka’s return date is uncertain at the moment, there is some great news for her fans. She will be featuring in the latest episode of the famous talk show, ‘The Shop’. The episode will be streaming live on HBO on the upcoming Friday at 9 p.m.

Fans became quite surprised after Osaka announced that she will be taking a break from tennis citing her mental health issues. It will be intriguing to see if she answers anything about her health and comeback date on the show or not.

NBA legend, LeBron James, is one of the producers of the show. He and his friend, Maverick Carter launched Uninterrupted in 2014. It is the platform that later created the show, ‘The Shop’. So far, the talk show has had guests including the likes of Drake, Hasan Minhaj, and even, former US President, Barack Obama.

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Naomi Osaka in the 2021 tennis season

Osaka began her 2021 season on a really high note as she emerged as the champion of the Australian Open 2021. It was her fourth Grand Slam title and interestingly, she has won all of them on hard-courts. However, since then, the Japanese star hasn’t been in the same form.

Osaka decided to skip the press conferences at the French Open 2021. After receiving a lot of backlash, she withdrew from the Grand Slam, citing her mental health issues. Later on, she withdrew from the Wimbledon Championships 2021 as well.

Naomi began as the favorite player at Tokyo Olympics 2020. However, she couldn’t make a mark there and then failed to defend her title in New York as well. Thus, overall it has not been a great season for the 23-year-old as she also dropped six spots in the WTA rankings and is currently the World No.8 player.

Fans still have huge expectations from Naomi Osaka. Will she be able to make a phenomenal comeback on the court next year?

Also Read: Naomi Osaka Reveals Favorite Sport Besides Tennis