Naomi Osaka wants to address the audience, after receiving insulting calls from the stands at the Indian Wells tournament
One of my favorite things about watching sports is putting myself in their shoes.
To know that from this situation I would have scored, for example, or to understand that I would never have stopped this simple kick.
On the penalty line in the final seconds, I have no doubt that my hands were shaking, but I'm also sure that I wasn't egotistical and stupid.
If I were a soccer player, of course I would be sent off often, receiving reds not because of violence but because of a "short fuse", and still this does not prevent me as a spectator from reprimanding the players and demanding from them responsibility and composure and respecting the status.
In addition, it is clear to me that if I were a young tennis player, who had already won four Grand Slams and brings in 50 million dollars a year just from sponsorships and advertisements, I would probably freak out a bit.
It is likely that from time to time I would suffer from a breakdown and find it difficult to muster the motivation to continue training like crazy, travel all over the world to more and more tournaments and meet determined and competitive opponents, I would have trouble finding the strength to fight them.
It is not clear how Naomi Osaka is the exception.
It was surprising to read the shocked-shocked headlines this week that Osaka "disappeared" to the organizers of the Australian Championships.
Beyond the fact that this is a slightly unusual athlete, undoubtedly sensitive, who has already admitted that she suffers from anxiety and mental difficulties in dealing with the media and the pressures of the game - this is a young girl who within a few years became famous, a star, a multi-millionaire.
Her desire to run away, to look for some quiet, a safe and distant corner, is a completely natural thing.
It is not clear how Naomi Osaka is the exception!
Her desire to escape, to look for some peace, a safe and distant corner, is a completely natural thing.
Osaka (Photo: Reuters)
The shock of the media and the general public stems in part from the feeling of "waste".
Beyond the basic opacity and insensitivity, beyond the astonishment at her boldness and going against the grain, beyond the anger at the fact that she dares to leave and not give the audience the show they expect - it hurts people to see how she throws away her talent and career and does not take advantage of her superior abilities.
The adults among us even assume that one day she will regret it, because what she now takes for granted will fade over the years.
She won't stay strong and athletic at 25 forever. This is something that Serena also learned the hard way: with all due respect to experience and game wisdom, it's not always enough against determined 19-year-old Czechs.
But what is this "potential" that Naomi Osaka does not take advantage of?
Isn't it narrow-minded to reduce an athlete only to his profession?
If a man really wants her good, shouldn't he be happy for her that she found love and a relationship?
What is one or more Grand Slams on a resume, compared to peace of mind?
And if I continue to try to put myself in her shoes, then I can be happy about the long vacation she took (she hasn't played since September), the fact that she and her partner are traveling in Europe, waking up late, ordering breakfast to the room, without chasing tournaments and a demanding competitive round Never ending - and the checks are still coming in, the money is flowing into the bank account, millions of dollars a year.
Doesn't sound like an experience that necessarily needs to be taken care of.
She is not the only one who is broken either.
Ashley Barty retired at the age of 25 after admitting that "I don't have the strength anymore".
Not all of them are bad animals like Nadal and Djokovic who are not willing to give up a single point.
The round is exhausting.
These are the incessant trips, the longing for home, and especially this loneliness, on and off the field, especially for female athletes, who are surrounded by a male environment (usually a coach and father), especially for those who in their early twenties reach number one in the world and fulfill their dreams.
And of course women have a biological clock, a need to start a family, unlike men who can postpone the decision, and even if they get married anyway, they don't carry the fetus.
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Still, this week quite a few news were published in the media about Osaka's disappearance, and the headlines spoke of "fear for her future".
But with all due respect to the future, what about the present?
And who are those who fear for its future?
Probably factors in the WTA tour who are afraid of losing one of the few stars in the industry.
And of course they don't really care about her, but themselves.
It is possible that the "fear for her future" is just an insensitive choice of words by the editor at CNN, who makes the context himself: a tennis player with emotional problems, who has barely played in the last six months, does not answer the phones, so there must be something wrong with her.
What does the reporter know?
Did you talk to her?
Does he have any solid information for her moods beyond what she uploads on Instagram?
Does he know how much she exercises, if at all, what is her physical, health, mental condition?
It turns out not.
Because while quite a few media expressed concern, it turns out that Osaka is in a completely different segment altogether, far from the hasty speculations and interpretations of the journalists, who simply analyze and speak irresponsibly.
Even her biographer, Ben Rothenberg, claimed she was "slowly retiring", but then Osaka announced: I'm pregnant.
More than that: it was important for her to make it clear that she misses tennis, a game she has played all her life.
And she not only promised that she would return, but also stated that it was important for her to return as a mother and fulfill a dream: to play in front of her child.
And so while everyone eulogizes her and feels sorry for her without a clue, Osaka in general is engaged in personal and spiritual development and finds new motivation to return to the courts and renewed forces that will drive her.
Isn't this a sign of an exemplary athlete?
That's exactly why Naomi Osaka's announcement this week that she became pregnant was such optimistic and heartwarming news.
She made us stop for a moment, accept proportions and be happy for her.
Not as an athlete, but as a human being.
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