via Reuters
Tennis – Australian Open – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia – January 21, 2022. Japan’s Naomi Osaka during a press conference after losing her third-round match against Amanda Anisimova of the U.S. REUTERS/Loren Elliott
via Reuters
Tennis – Australian Open – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia – January 21, 2022. Japan’s Naomi Osaka during a press conference after losing her third-round match against Amanda Anisimova of the U.S. REUTERS/Loren Elliott
In recent times, Naomi Osaka has been one of the most popular tennis players in the WTA circuit. Since 2018, where she broke into the professional tour, the Japanese player has won four Grand Slam titles. The former world no.1 has two Australian Open titles and two US Open titles to her name.
Despite being a successful athlete on-court, she has had to deal with a lot of criticism and controversy. She did not play a lot of tournaments in 2021 as she wanted to focus on her mental health. The four-time major champion also announced that she would be taking some time off from tennis. However, Osaka started off the 2022 season on a positive note even though she couldn’t defend her Australian Open title.
Recently, Osaka took to Twitter to drop a post, appreciating herself for being authentic and withstanding the storm even in the toughest moments. Knowing how mentally taxing being a professional athlete can be, this post is great coming from someone who has been quite vocal about dealing with her own problems.
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“Very proud of myself for reaching a point in my life that despite the lows, I would still rather be myself than anyone else.”
Very proud of myself for reaching a point in my life that despite the lows, I would still rather be myself than anyone else.
— NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) March 17, 2022
Naomi Osaka gets emotional at the Indian Wells 2022
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She lost in her Round of 64 match at the Indian Wells 2022 and her performance was greatly impacted by a heckle made by a member of the crowd. She appealed to the umpire, asking if she could address the person directly but was denied permission. Naomi Osaka seemed emotional during the match and even though she did recover a little in the second set, the Japanese star could not outdo a skillful performance by Veronika Kudermetova.
USA Today via Reuters
Mar 12, 2022; Indian Wells, CA, USA; Naomi Osaka (JPN) wipes her face as she talks to referee Claire Wood after a spectator disrupted play, yelling Naomi you suck, before the start of her 2nd round match against Veronika Kudermetova (RUS) at the BNP Paribas open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Quite a few athletes came out in support of her and shared their own experiences of harassment that they had faced during a match. Osaka too recovered and addressed the incident in her interviews.
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Watch this story: Near and dear ones of tennis star Naomi Osaka
However, given what she said on her social media, it’s evident that she is learning about herself every time she steps on a tennis court. Will Naomi Osaka be able to climb up the WTA rankings again? Which Grand Slam do you think she has a chance of winning this year?
