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US Open 2021: Naomi Osaka - relief instead of joy

Naomi Osaka will probably take a longer break. And only come back when she finds the joy of tennis again.

by Jens Huiber
last edit: Sep 05, 2021, 11:23 am

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See you ... soon, Naomi?
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See you ... soon, Naomi?

Comparisons are always difficult, especially across disciplines, but we still try: If you remember Mario Götze's jubilation in the final of the 2014 World Cup, then the face of the winning goal scorer showed pure, almost childlike joy. On the other hand, if you look at Angel di Maria after the decisive goal he scored against Switzerland in extra time in the round of 16: no trace of joy at the Argentine. Just relief. This is roughly how Naomi Osaka described it in her farewell press conference from the US Open 2021: When she wins, she feels no joy, just relief. And defeat made them sad.

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The latter is understandable and certainly not a unique selling point of Osaka. But the former is questionable. You can see a lot of serious faces among the players in New York these days, and it is surely just a coincidence that Patrick Mouratoglou is in the box with some of them. Stefanos Tsitsipas is a very serious tennis professional who uses the rules to their limits. The Greek doesn't seem to have much fun doing his work, regardless of the result and the reactions of the audience (which, as is well known, are rarely positive at the US Open).

Cori Gauff's game of mines in the box was adapted to that of the player, good, and Sloane Stephens' dominance also gave little cause for joy. But even with Gauff, at Siegen it seems as if a great burden falls off their shoulders in the first place. Incidentally, the industry leader in terms of seriousness is Miomir Kecmanovic. The Serb has to win tournaments like last year in Kitzbühel to give the audience and himself a short smile.

Osaka at the peak of worldwide attention

The situation at Naomi Osaka is, of course, a very special one. And that is at least partly due to the almost macabre circumstances in their first big triumph at the US Open 2018. Outwardly, Osaka put up with the scenes at the award ceremony, followed by the second major victory in Australia a few months later. And rose to be the highest paid female athlete in the world. Which further increased the pressure of expectations from fans and sponsors.

The fact that Naomi Osaka rose into a ranks with Muhammad Ali at the opening of the Olympic Games in Tokyo by lighting the Olympic flame like the greatest of all time was the high point of worldwide attention for the time being. Ali experienced that too, but in glorious times without social media. The extroverted Ali was the complete opposite of the shy Osaka, whose messages are nevertheless as powerful as those of the legendary boxer.

One thing seems to be clear after the defeat against Leylah Fernandez: If Naomi Osaka should come back to the tennis circuit, it will only be if she finds the fun of the sport again. And enjoying her victories as Muhammad Ali used to be.

by Jens Huiber

Sunday
Sep 05, 2021, 05:05 pm
last edit: Sep 05, 2021, 11:23 am