What Happened To Naomi Osaka? (It's Not What You Think...) 

I have always loved Osaka. She is such a sweet and sensitive woman. People can be so cruel to athletes, and she didn't deserve any of the hate. Being the top player in the world and defeating people's favorite players tends to draw ire unfortunately. I remember watching her against Serena in that USOpen final and feeling bad for her because of how Serena behaved, and got the crowd riled up against her. She also did not deserve hate from people for choosing to represent Japan. It is her personal choice with who she would feel more comfortable playing for.

As a top athlete with international media attention in probably the most televised individual sport, you have to be willing to endure the on court and online booing of your personality. For someone like Osaka, who already seems to be insecure and self critical, to the point of being depressed, the psychological cruelty of the crowds is simply unbearable. May she lead a happy life.

At least she has 4 majors which is not that bad

Very good overview of Naomi, her career and struggles so far. The one thing I hope she does is get media training on how to deal with pushy and rude reporters. Venus Williams is very good at this. She should just say “inappropriate question - next?” and don’t take the bait. Very much looking forward to seeing her return to the tour 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

She was only trained in tennis. Parents need to understand, in any sport with any gender, that the mental side is always harder the physical. Just because a kid has a talent doesn't mean they will have the mental dexterity to handle everything that comes along with stardom.

I hope she comes back ... adds dimension to the women's game and I feel it will be good for her mental health as well ... to confront her issues rather than seek a "safe place" ...cuz you'll never find a safe place when the fears are inside your head ...best of luck Naomi

Tennis as a sport is very tough psychologically. In order to maintain high level tennis performance like a pro, one must be extremely mature and centered emotionally. In addition, the demands of touring internationally are incredibly high as they take a person away from home life/family, force one to deal with foreign cultures, and leave an athlete somewhat isolated.

People getting butthurt over her not playing for the States is hilarious. She was not born there period and reserves the right to represent either. If it were me I'd do the same, my sister had a similar story to Naomi but with the UK and still considers herself English despite not growing up there

Naomi will always be a great multi-GS champ. She has been battling mental health issues, insecurity issues, identity issues, 4-time GS pressures, breadwinner pressures, endorsement pressures, parental worries, public speaking fears, celebrity pressures, etc. Imagine being in her shoes. Good luck! You still have at least 1 more GS in you. Take care!

I loved watching Naomi play and I saw her when she won against Serena. I could feel her hurt and didn't want to feel guilty she won. She deserved the trophy. As for heritage she made the right choice at choosing Japan. If there are rules for the players there should definitely be rules for the reporters. Most of them want a reaction of negatively from players cuz that makes the stories. Shame on them and the tennis representatives. Hope she comes back in 2024 ❤

Coco Gauff has had a very strong family and parents to guide and protect her. Naomi has a good family, but the two fathers have played different roles. Coco's dad has been more present and protective. Additionally, Coco's mom is a former athlete and really seems to ground Coco. I think this has given Coco a mental edge over Naomi

I agree about the home schooling, that she missed out on some social interactions that a tennis academy can't provide. I, like many, would love to see her win gold at the Olympics.

In tennis, you're out there all alone, so the pressure is much higher. The players that can barely cover their expenses struggle mentally much more.

Naomi is a 4X slam champion I like her a lot and wish her well. The media put Naomi under a lot of pressure. She is shy and the press are cruel.

As soon as they can afford one players should use a sports psychologist or a therapist to address their mental health. It’s a support that’s as useful and needed just as much as a coaching team

Serena Williams (whether she meant to or not) brought her a lot of hate after the US open umpire situation. An 18 year old had an entire stadium of people booing her during her award ceremony. For a lot of people (especially at 18) that would take a toll on their mental health…

I’ve gone through a brief rabbit hole on your channel. One of the big things I see is a lot of these pros almost had their childhood decided by their families. They don’t seem to have a normal social life. I’m sure Naomi loves tennis, and yes, she is rich, but there are trade-offs to this life. She is also only 26, and many of her Internet critics forget that her issues with her emotions were from when she was in her early-20s. Would I love to have all that money she has? Sure. But I also know that if I had grown up like that, I’d likely be the biggest clown on the Internet. After all, I never had to have my lowest moments permanently televised for the world to see.

I love your Chanel, and you are doing good job. A few years ago I was watching a Japanese TV interview of Naomi's mother. In this interview she told some of the difficulties Naomi and her mother had to deal with. When Naomi was a young junior player, She could not enter many of the junior tournaments in U.S. because of their financial reasons. Therefore Naomi could not get U.S.T.A's Junior players ranking points. So when Naomi's mother asked U.S.T.A for help of instructions or medical advices......etc. USTA did not know Naomi at all, Unfortunately she and Naomi were rejected for any help from them, sounds familiar ? Williams sisters? Public court tennis players don't get any help from USTA? Anyway, Naomi's mother felt she was treated rather rudely. So She asked Japanese Tennis people for help and then Naomi got help from J.T.A. I am sure this is the reason why Naomi plays for Japan even though Naomi does not speaking Japanese. A few years later Mary Joe Fernandes discovered this phenomenonal girl and invited to join the USTA team. But it was too late, then. Everybody loves Naomi Osaka. That's all it matters.

Mental toughness is a large part of the sport

Years ago, she was being coached which was allowed, and we heard how much she did not want to be playing tennis. That is the issue. She was being begged to continue playing.

I always love to see Naomi Osaka in great matches. She is a real talent and great player. She has already 4 grandslams win. She has now a beautiful baby. Greatfull to hear that she s coming back next year 2024. You can do it Naomi to win grandslams again, believe in yourself and the great talent you have. 💪💪❤️

Hey! Can you please make a video about "How good was Thomas Muster actually"?

Great video.

She achieved more success in few yrs than most players do in lifetime. And earned millions. Don't feel sorry for her.

Click bait title told me nothing a tennis fan would not already have known.

I think what happened to Naomi happens to a lot of athletes who end up being able to play at a high level, they start from a young age chasing a dream idolising players and stadiums and wanting to recreate as well as create their own, but there’s always a period where you realise once you get to where you’ve dreamed of getting it’ll take more than just love and passion for the game to keep you there and keep you hungry etc. In Naomi’s story she did a lot of firsts and achieved a lot of her goals and probably dreams from a earlier than she might have anticipated (not saying she didn’t earn it), imagine idolising Serena all your life and then ending up beating her to win your first grand slam title when you weren’t even a high seed or a dark horse, then going on to get to the 1 ranking in the world as well as all the commercial success as well as interest from outside sources. I think she was never prepared for what comes with being where she got to, what I mean by this is if it was up to her she would just want to play tennis and that’s is, not have all the media obligations and not have to worry about anything other than just playing tennis. But that’s the issue when you’re one of the main faces of the tennis world (and sports world as a whole) I’ll give an example. There’s a football player called Son Heung-Min from Korea and he’s undoubtedly the most famous Korean as well as inarguably the best Asian football player, and it doesn’t hurt that he’s also one of the best players currently playing in Europe so it’s meant that he has a lot of media attention and fans who come halfway across the world just to catch a glimpse of him and he pretty much is under the spotlight every time he’s outside of his house. He arguably has more pressure from outside sources than Osaka yet has managed to deal with it all better due to having a strong foundation his whole career with his family and friends being there in the hard times and I think it helps that his father was a pro and so he’s helped him on his own journey as well as been there to keep him grounded and focused. I’m not saying Osaka hasn’t or doesn’t have anything like that but I feel like with her being mixed race and being born in Japan, Asians aren’t always raised to be emotional or deal with their emotions as much and she herself seems shy. With saying that I feel like she got all this fame interest and success very quickly before she could figure out how to handle it and then collapsed under the pressure mentally because she didn’t have a strong foundation outside of the court. And with tennis and sports that bring in a lot of money the responsibilities off the court are part and parcel so you can’t really buffet style what you do and what you don’t do. Because I’ll admit there’s less sympathy for people when they’re earning millions doing something most would dream of being able to do as a career. So in summary she gained quick popularity and got to the summit of where she always wanted to be but maybe didn’t know what to do after she got there, it’s hard being able to motivate yourself after you’ve already achieved your dreams and you’re thinking “what do I do now” because the moment comes and goes and then you’re stuck trying to figure out what else you want to do, and unless you’re obsessed with the game then most of the time you just want to get away from it Identity crisis, a lot of mixed race kids have issues with this because they’re never seen as one or the other and are treated like that a lot of the time. Most of the time the kid usually ends up identifying or trying to identify with one more even if they eventually accept the fact that they can’t change the fact they’re mixed race, but it’s something that I feel like is a huge thing in the states and usually with the black mix with something else

Very constructive documentary. ❤

It's 100% logical why she chose Japan idk why the US felt entitled to this girl. But i agree, she's the self-sabotage queen though 😂

She is rich now and doing skincare line and clothing line. Being a top athlete is a tough work.

Great video.Good luck to Naomi ❤

I’m a big Naomi fan and glad she did what she felt the need to do. She’s great and when she’s ready to come back I’ll be ready to watch and support.

She is a great tennis player I hope we see more of her on court again soon in a balanced and healthy way. Good luck Naomi ; )

How can you not be depressed? Your dad made you into a Tennis player, you achieved the highest form of success everything everyone ever wanted from you and it was not what you wanted. You don't know who you really were? You were someone that someone created in a sense.

Great video! Naomi has had some strange reactions but she’s also had to deal with tough things that are very unique to her and her background. Only thing I would add is that she barely has any titles outside of slams and that she is very bad at natural surfaces and didn’t want to play those tournaments as much, so she never was that dominant.

People are going to hate and misery loves company.

If she happy that’s all that matters

The nice thing about ladies tennis is that none of them dominate for more than a year or two. So the game stays fresh and interesting unlike the men's game where Roger Rafa and Novac simple has zero compitation. I remember Niomi, but she faded away just like the rest of the ladies who has the ability to impress. Tennis is contemporary slavery and the ladies are simply not strong enough to endure the constant punishment. Serena was able to do it, but that's another story entirely....

I hope that Naomi regains the determination and confidence she had to get to the top again but only if success is accompanied by inner peace and self love.

Love this woman and her play… therapy just a loss of time and money.. good luck..

I would never criticize Osaka for walking away from the sport to start a family. That’s her personal business and I would even say it’s honorable. I criticize her for the lack of mental toughness while she was competing that this sport demands. If you don’t have the toughness to compete, the sport will eventually chew you up and spit you out regardless of your talent level. To put it succinctly, she couldn’t hack it. She’s not the first player to face adversity, pressure, criticism, and being heckled on the court, and she won’t be the last. I’ll be very surprised if Osaka makes a successful comeback and start winning championships again. I think she is too susceptible to distraction and is mentally fragile, but anything is possible I suppose.

❤THANK YOU. SHE SEEMS LIKE A WONDERFUL CHAMPION. BEST OF CONTINUED SUCCESS.

We are witnessing something historic in WomensTennis. Naomi Osaka will return soon and win everything! 🎾🖤🙏

Coco’s parents were both athletes so they have the ins of what it takes to be on top of the game so mentally she’s more fit. Being Asian, sometimes has to visit advantage of high expectations and not addressing mental health problems , they tried to hold it in

as an Asian American adult that grew up in a pressure cooker created by my parents, i understand Naomi’s struggles. compounded by the fact that she is biracial, the problems that she deals with are exponentially greater. what i’ve learned is that your success is not your parents success to claim. anyone who has parents like this and is having difficulty finding success, just let go of that burden. it’s not easy to do but you will be better for it.

Having experienced a mental health crisis myself I look at her past struggles a bit differently now, and I have more compassion towards anyone going through a hard time. I wish her well, hopefully she’ll have a great season.

You slid that Petra Kvitova like a pro there.

Such a well made fantastic video.

You can only have a moment of fame we only hold those memories regardless we are all human n we not perfect She was good WEN she was good n that’s it God blessed you always just by breathing 🙏🏾❤️‍🩹

She definitely isn’t considered Japanese in Japan.

Osaka is my favorite tennis player

I love Naomi and I missed her. I am glad she is back and I pray that God will bless her.

Nothing happened to her, if she, or other players want to play, or not play then that is their business. And, why is a player fined $15,000, for not wanting to talk to the media, that is her right not to talk to them. She is doing her life her way, all the best to her, and congratulations to her with becoming a mom, she is a wonderful young lady, again all the best to her.💐💐💐💐💫

5:10 swiatek also now, first 4 major finals

Life happened she grew up the past few years, take on a Serena state of mind take no prisoners, you can't be nice it comes a time you have to assert yourself.

It's really nice to see you take a rational stance on a female tennis player with complex issues. How about having a go at revisiting some of your old hate videos on Kyrgios? Some of the writers who spent 8 years attacking him in Australia have finally been taken off tennis. You might try watching his podcast with AO last week, with Jay Shetty, with Ed Mylett, with Frances Tiafoe, in fact all the amazing facts you never bothered to consider. See if you can dredge up one good video of Nick playing well. There must be one.

Don't see her being able to truly commit?

J'adore ✨ aussi ce documentaire de noemy parmis et dans ce monde pro'''du tennis 🎾🎾🎾

I wish I was in her position hahaha

Cruel what her parents pushed her through, what the media piled on, and how tennis fans dealt with here were horrible. The Racism that continues to happen at Indian Wells is why that tournament never matters.

Im not gonna dog on Naomis dad but i have a Haitian father myself. Mine is softer thsn most but they can be extremely strict and emphasize perfectionism. I can see how it can take a toll on naomi. A lot of times the pressures may parallel to asian parents as well. Up to this day as a 30 year old, i have a lot of expectations. He wanted me to be a piano player so badly when i didn't want to. And adter a few years of my resistance, he gave up. I don't like playing music at all. I can see what is happening to her. We're not encouraged to develop healthy social relationships, just work work work.

People can be cruel, but at the end of the day, you're just an athlete, an entertainer. People who buy tickets aren't there to baby you like a parent and encourage you to move forward and stay strong. When a heckler verbally taunts MJ, MJ makes sure the guy regrets by destroying the other team. That's the same with Kobe, Lebron, Djokovic, Federer, etc. The world doesn't owe you anything. You've won 4 majors and has earned so many millions. You don't need to withstand the pressure if you dont' want to. You can quit. But the world is going to move on with or without you. Ultimately, if you choose to be an entertainer, don't complain about it. You get perks that 99% of the population don't ever get. If you don't want it anymore, just give it to someone else.

She simply walked away from tennis for “a while”, parlaying her tennis stardom for lucrative endorsements and other money acquiring ventures. But when it was time to come back to what garnered her fame to begin with, she found out tennis is a very fine line to walk once you’re atop. And she never got it back, in a nutshell. Anything more complex than this is someone trying to sell you something for their own view$ or gain or a documentary etc……..which all have the common denominator of gain

She is BACK in 2024. Boy does the sport need her. Naomi v Iga is the ONLY pairing that matters for 2024. Two best by a counrty mile.

We love you Osaka!!

I can’t see her coming back to tennis

Lovely young lady. I wish her well❤

Such a beautiful lady, such a fantastic tennis player, Serena, is responsible for her undoing, so rude that women was, I hated watching Serena, and what she did to Naomi, was just disgusting.

To me if I was her. I would not care what other people say long. God knows what was going on. And she knew what was going on in our family. That's all concern stop worrying about what other people say. They talked about Jesus and Jesus didn't. Let's stop him going to be in about his father's business. Keep doing what you gotta do. Don't worry about the people. Don't worry about what people saying cause they don't know. Only God knows God bless you, you're in my prayer.

she let a man define her, she has low self-esteem and some rap artist like a serpent started whispering in her ear, and the fall was inevitable, now that she is back, I hope she got her off-court relationships under control and stay focused on her career... the same thing happened to her idol serena. with all the other wta players that have fallen from grace, I can see a common denominator, "Men" take a look for yourself, and you will agree, today's woman says "They don't need a man" but it's always men that set them back, get real with yourself and your perceptions and you will see that change you are looking for. We all need each other; you need your mom and your dad.

She changed her mixed race to one race... That was her issue 😂😂😂

Nice arms buddy

In short, she got woke

She became an activist, not a player. All she'll do is moan to her social media followers for the rest of her days at this rate.

Nicely presented and well balanced.

The turning point was the french open when she refused to do media. She was on top of the world at that point. 4 majors and 2 won against Serena. She was also loved by the tennis media. Her press conferences were delightful because she was authentic. Then, all of a sudden, at that French open, it all changed. It felt so sudden and out of nowhere. Everyone was expecting her to dominate the hard court slams. Its good to see her back. The greatest present would be a rivalry with Iga.

Im reading the comments first. It looks like exactly what I think.

Serena successfully destroyed her carrer.

Naomi doesnt need to prove anything to anybody its her life her choice she should do what makes her motivated and happy ash b another player who i adored a lot simply retired when she was at fhe top simply becuase to her tennis was not the end of the world and she had better things for her to do. Naomi should look and get inspired by these people.who lead their life on their own terms and not get upset with silly insignificant people and their comments. I hope she makes it to the top of the game again and if she decides to do something else that makes her happy then go for it 😊❤

This post clearly shows how women are completely different from men.

U mean, it is what we think cause weve heard it before… and shes not coming back as a top player. shes moved on and other things are more important for her than playing tennis.

I just saw an article. Osaka say, she either have to be the best or she going to be homeless. I think it funny how she not watching WTA. There IS a bunch of great talent now. She think she have more talent than Rybakina, it not true. She great player, but if she cannot handle the press, she not cut out to be number 1. I think she gonna have tough time with the 3 Czech girls, all in the top 10, who gonna amp up to beat her, too. Things are more solidified after Williams departure. Williams and the clout she had ruined tennis for a while. Anyway. What Osaka brings is a LOT. You know? The big, wild hair is always a pleasure to see. She also this big girl and she good. But. She talking like she not an athlete. Sound like people telling her she can just start at the top again. And WTA just move aside. There are many girls, who will steamroll her on any given day, cuz 'motivation' make any of these top 20 girls unbeatable for ONE or two matches or a whole tournament. I don't think she be homeless. But. She a party crasher, right now. And. Gauff gonna have something to say, too.

Exposed to media and public too early without knowing and learning how to deal with it. Her parents should have taught her better. When you are top of a sports or nearby you inevitably have to deal with these whether you want it or not, and her being introvert and sensitive she has not ready to take it and don’t know how to deal with it.

She has the fame and fortune now, she clearly isn't trying to return to the sport which is hard work.

I will continue to hope, and pray for SISTER NAOMI, HER FAMILY MEMBERS, FRIENDS, AND ALL OF HE ROTHER LOVED ONES. May she get, and continue to focus, and work on her mental, psychological, emotional, physical, spiritual, and all-around health and well-being. And I will continue to also pray for all mental, psychological, physical, and emotional health issues, and problems world-wide. IN THE BLESSED, HOLY, AND MOST RIGHTEOUS NAME OF my PERSONAL LORD, AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST AMEN, AND AMEN.

Check your facts maaaan! You may still reach wanahave publicity goals, is you speak the truth.

Is her life and nobody’s business to analyze what she did. Leave her alone- she knows what is the best for her. If she return to play in 2024 - will be very nice surprise 💕💕💕🙏🏻

I think that Bencic is the match where she kind of lost the plot. I wonder when she and cordae met??? 🤔

I really felt bad because she had so much potential. 😢

That works for me.....I'll stop playing for 7/8 mo...Then start playing again,,,,it like being born again.....

She is blessed with amazing talent that has allowed her to dominate. Every successful athlete has gone through it. Why is she so special?

She put on a BLM shirt and nothing has ever been the same for her. True story.

It really does matter how you deal with the media. Naomi is very polite and sensitive. The reporters are like vultures. Venus and Serena had a strong dad in Richard who guided them through their early career. They were clever in dealing with the media. They were very articulate in answering questions. The reporters couldn’t unnerve them. Naomi doesn’t have that balance. She seems to be on her own.

....here we go... ..

Great Hair that's for sure

Naomi is a beautiful soul. Serena and the US crowd mistreated her so that she doubted she deserved to win her first GS. She certainly needed more mental strength, but no one can't accuse her of walking away from press conferences and the terrible bullying she received everywhere. Having a child is a beautiful reward and the most precious she can have, and I don't doubt that she's coming stronger in 2024!

Best of luck to her after a much needed break from all the trolls.

Her father created a Tennis machine, and forgot that she is a tennis player and a growing child who needed social interaction with kids her age..i.e go to school

You have to be a headcase to be a top athlete. You have no choice, it's already chosen for you.

Her inability to stay healthy and foot speed & quickness & agility is not what it once was, and she has never been known as putting a lot of time in the gym, and simply put other girls have greater physicality, because they put in the extra work off the court, so it's a real uphill battle for her going forward

I love this. But you fail to mention her biggest achievement in her lifetime: BEING THE FINAL TORCH BEARER OF AN OLYMPIC- the only tennis player man/woman to ever did it. This achievement will never be repeated again and even though in tennis number of Grandslam matters, she out did even the GOAT of any major sports and famous of the famous names of any sports. Her being the final torch bearer didn’t come easy as Japan has plenty of remarkable legendary athletes that can replace her. All the three things that you said about her biggest problem I agree to it. In a match she always chooses to hit the farthest/outer part of the line on court and if she didn’t, she always get upset to herself even though the opponent on the other side is just some random girls who can’t chase a ball and this just shows how much she puts pressure to herself- to always hit the ball clean, to hit the line (not the court), to hit aces more and to win matches. So far she is the only player in WTA who can hit the ball intentionally clean corner to corner from both BH/FH and I miss watching matches like that. For sure she gonna flop harder in 2024 but I love that she will have less time to hate on herself coz she have a daughter now to take care of ❤