Olympia: Naomi Osaka - A return with many question marks
Naomi Osaka returns to the international tennis stage at the Tokyo Olympics. But before the Japanese comeback, there are some unanswered questions.
by Nikolaus Fink
last edit:
Jul 20, 2021, 03:49 pm
While numerous superstars such as Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Simona Halep or Serena Williams do without a start at the Olympic Games, Naomi Osaka is celebrating her comeback in Tokyo, of all places. The world number two has not played a single match since the French Open in Paris.
In the French capital, Osaka, who has been suffering from depression for several years, wanted to raise awareness of the mental health of athletes with a press conference boycott. The organizers threatened to expel her from the tournament, but before her second round match, the 23-year-old pulled the tear line herself and decided not to take part.
Osaka's management is beating the drum
Afterwards it was initially quiet about the four-time Grand Slam winner, but for a few weeks her management has been beating the drum in the run-up to the home game in Tokyo. Osaka is now also available as a Barbie doll, and a Netflix documentary about the reigning Australian Open winner was also released on July 16.
Most recently, Osaka was also the first Japanese woman to appear on the cover of the sports magazine "Sports Illustrated". The former world number one countered doubts about her physical problems on social media with the long lead time these projects would have taken.
Question after question
Apart from the question of her mental health, which of course only Osaka can and should answer, it will be interesting to see in Tokyo how the Japanese woman off the field with the wishes of the press and the hustle and bustle around her person - limited by the lack of spectators will handle.
Ultimately, however, it will primarily be about one question for Osaka: How good is your tennis? Because although the 23-year-old is already preparing for her Olympic premiere on site, the almost two-month break is likely to have left its mark on the lack of match practice. From July 24th it will be possible to see whether there is enough for precious metal.