Is Osaka the next big thing in WTA??

gadge

Hall of Fame
After serena and sharapova there hasn't been a star in wta, but now she seems to be the one. She finally broke the instabilities in wta by winning two majors back to back. Honestly I thought she wouldn't win another slam after US open at least for a year. On top of that she seems to be a person everyone loves and her press conferences are a delight. How far will she go?
 

Mr.Lob

G.O.A.T.
Osaka's mental strength lately has given her the edge. She'll need to improve and fine tune her all around game to become the next dominating superstar.

She needs to keep beating Serena though. She's got her foot on Serena's windpipe. Crush her a couple more times and Serena will hang up her jock and retire.
 

gadge

Hall of Fame
Osaka's mental strength lately has given her the edge. She'll need to improve and fine tune her all around game to become the next dominating superstar.

She needs to keep beating Serena though. She's got her foot on Serena's windpipe. Crush her a couple more times and Serena will hang up her jock and retire.
I'm pretty certain had it not been Pliskova, Osaka would've beaten Serena again in AO.
 

RaulRamirez

Legend
After serena and sharapova there hasn't been a star in wta, but now she seems to be the one. She finally broke the instabilities in wta by winning two majors back to back. Honestly I thought she wouldn't win another slam after US open at least for a year. On top of that she seems to be a person everyone loves and her press conferences are a delight. How far will she go?
Yes, I think she is. Lots of things (and other players) could disrupt her orbit, but she looks like a player who can win double-digit slams.
 

Mr.Lob

G.O.A.T.
I'm pretty certain had it not been Pliskova, Osaka would've beaten Serena again in AO.

That Pliskova/Serena match was something out of "The Twilight Zone". Unbelievable twist (Serena's ankle too).

Would have been great to have gotten that Serena/Osaka match. To see if there was going to be that changing of the guard. To see if Osaka could beat the self proclaimed greatest in back to back slams. I think Osaka would have done it, too!
 

Chanwan

G.O.A.T.
Yes. Anything shy of being in the Henin/Venus range in singles would honestly surprise me.
That Pliskova/Serena match was something out of "The Twilight Zone". Unbelievable twist (Serena's ankle too).

Would have been great to have gotten that Serena/Osaka match. To see if there was going to be that changing of the guard. To see if Osaka could beat the self proclaimed greatest in back to back slams. I think Osaka would have done it, too!
Me too, a shame she didn't get the chance. Would have been sweet revenge for the show Serena put on at the US.
 

ChrisRF

Legend
I wonder if anything concerning the WTA can become "big" ever again (or at least in the next 10-20 years to come).

I mean, I know nobody in real life who is interested in women’s pro tennis. That was different in the 90s and the early 00s. I was a child then, but I still remember people talking about it regularly.
 

bigserving

Hall of Fame
After serena and sharapova there hasn't been a star in wta, but now she seems to be the one. She finally broke the instabilities in wta by winning two majors back to back. Honestly I thought she wouldn't win another slam after US open at least for a year. On top of that she seems to be a person everyone loves and her press conferences are a delight. How far will she go?
With five majors over 13 years, was Sharapova really ever a star, or just the flavor of the month type that went on for a few years?
 

gadge

Hall of Fame
I wonder if anything concerning the WTA can become "big" ever again (or at least in the next 10-20 years to come).

I mean, I know nobody in real life who is interested in women’s pro tennis. That was different in the 90s and the early 00s. I was a child then, but I still remember people talking about it regularly.
yaa back when WTA was not about ball bashing or road runners. I also watch a lot of badminton, gotta say the situation is entirely different Women's game is followed probably a little more than men's
 

SystemicAnomaly

Bionic Poster
After her performance against Mlad, Osaka shows that she may be on top but not invincible

At 21+ yo, Naomi may already be over the hill... JK. The next WTA Next Big Things (under 21):

Aryna Sabalenka (20.7)
Sofia Kenin (20.2)
CiCi Bellis (19.8) ... if she ever returns from DL
Dayana Yastremska (18.7)
Amanda Anisimova (17.4)
.
 

BHud

Hall of Fame
She needs to hire a PR specialist if she continues to win majors...I don't know how many more interviews I can stand...I thought valley girls died out with the 80's?
 
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ChaelAZ

G.O.A.T.
She ticks a lot of the boxes I like to see in someone that can compete at the highest level through a career. There haven't been too many lately, espeically on the men's side. I'll just go with a solid top 10 contender for now, but reserve the right to modify that at the end of this season.
 
What else does she have to do for some people? She's already #1 and won the last 2 majors! Mon Dieu; what's with some of us? :laughing::rolleyes:;)

Simple. For the rest of the year she cannot lose a single point, game or match. She must give perfect interviews and the MOST IMPORTANT...…… she must let the tennis community make all her on/off court decisions.
 

clout

Hall of Fame
I mean she already won 2 majors, reached #1 in the world, a Masters title and qualified for the WTF, so technically she's already a "star' given the fact that she's only 21.
 

chjtennis

G.O.A.T.
I first saw Osaka play at Eastbourne tournament before Wimbledon a few years ago, and already back then, I was extremely impressed and knew she would make a great champion because she just had such solid game with great ground strokes and plenty of power. Serena had more power at the same age as Osaka is now, but in terms of pure skill, I think Naomi is just more complete Serena was. Of course, that doesn't mean Osaka will achieve more than Williams, and I highly doubt any WTA player would come close to Serena's achievements in the next 20 years, but still, I think Osaka has the ability to be a dominant female player for the next decade. What I'm seeing now, though, is not good. The last thing she needs now is distraction and it seems splitting with her coach has distracted her a lot. I hope she regroups and excel with her career because I don't want to see her talent go wasted.
 
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