Annual report Naomi Osaka: What ruined her? - Not enough
2022 was a season to forget for former world number one Naomi Osaka . We can't help but pull out the first "Not enough".
by Stefan Bergmann
last edit:
Dec 13, 2022, 12:04 pm
In 2018 she was the rising star in the WTA sky with her first US Open triumph: The Japanese Naomi Osaka prepared to turn the entire women's tennis inside out and put her very own stamp on it. The daughter of a Japanese woman and a Haitian was not only a fresh impetus for women's tennis, which had started to skid a little, and which gave an idea of the current, sometimes painful upheaval five years ago.
Also in the following years 2019 - 2021 she should succeed in a major triumph per season - in total the lady from Osaka was able to lift the trophies of the US Open and the Australian Open twice. But then came the complete slump. Osaka withdrew from the 2021 French Open after the first round after being unwilling and unable to attend the tournament's mandatory press conferences.
At the same time, the 25-year-old took a bold step and publicized problems with her mental health. An anxiety disorder, which often occurs in combination with depression, made it impossible to participate in Wimbledon and the third round in New York did not look good on the polarizing right-hander.
Only Miami was worth a trip in 2022
So 2022 offered a chance for a fresh start. With renewed vigour, the Asian wanted to make the mixed previous season forgotten. Only, the plan didn't work out. With another third-round exit at the Australian Open, Osaka even managed the best Grand Slam result of the season just ended. The valueless Wimbledon tournament was left out from the start, Roland Garros and Flushing Meadows had to leave the former world number one right after the opening game.
Osaka achieved the only showable result in 2022 at the WTA 1000 tournament in Miami, where she only failed in two sets in the final at the current industry leader Iga Swiatek. Overall, the Japanese had only competed in eleven tournaments - with a match record of 15 wins and eleven losses. She also ended the collaboration with long-term coach Wim Fisette, currently the four-time major champion is without a coach.
What the 2023 season may bring for Osaka is hard to say. A lot depends on whether the lady from the land of the rising sun gets her mental problems under control and can regain the focus that is so necessary for top-class tennis. It would be desirable for both her and women's tennis in general.