Naomi Osaka eyes tennis return 'soon' after feeling 'itch' to play again

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celito

Professional
No, that's garbage power. It's like stepping in a dog's poo - as much as you would like to ignore it, you still have to clean the shoe... and it stinks.

I'd much rather have Osaka shut up and play her beautiful tennis, which I like watching. Or not and just retire.

The point is, if you're going to watch her just to see her lose ... you're still watching and talking about her. The name of the game is to gain attention ... good or bad. At the end of the day she will only go away (in terms of media attention) if she starts failing spectacularly in tournaments. If so, she will have to find another reason to stay in the limelight she so "despises".
 

Aussie Darcy

Bionic Poster
No, that's garbage power. It's like stepping in a dog's poo - as much as you would like to ignore it, you still have to clean the shoe... and it stinks.

I'd much rather have Osaka shut up and play her beautiful tennis, which I like watching. Or not and just retire.
Interesting comparison. It's not like stepping in poo but, you're actively looking to step in the said poo. You don't have to be here posting and reading about Osaka, go watch the tournaments happening and comment there. You're actively seeking to discuss her by posting on these threads. She lives rent free in your head, don't want poo, don't step in it.
 

celito

Professional
And yet you’re 100% here talking about it giving her attention and the headlines. She lives rent free in your mind. Tennis tournaments taking place yet the focus is on her. Now that’s star power.

She is still fresh in everyone's minds. If she starts being a mediocre player, the attention will go away. But it will certainly take a few years.
 

Aussie Darcy

Bionic Poster
The point is, if you're going to watch her just to see her lose ... you're still watching and talking about her. The name of the game is to gain attention ... good or bad. At the end of the day she will only go away (in terms of media attention) if she starts failing spectacularly in tournaments. If so, she will have to find another reason to stay in the limelight she so "despises".
This Osaka thread has 53 posts in 12 hours. The ATP San Diego thread has just 20 posts, the Sofia ATP tournament thread has just 12 posts. She literally is more popular than entire men's tournaments at this point on TTW. They're more interested in discussing her than the actual men's tennis. Hilarious.
 

Sudacafan

Bionic Poster
This Osaka thread has 53 posts in 12 hours. The ATP San Diego thread has just 20 posts, the Sofia ATP tournament thread has just 12 posts. She literally is more popular than entire men's tournaments at this point. They're more interested in discussing her than the actual men's tennis. Hilarious.
This is outrageous.
 

BlueB

Legend
Interesting comparison. It's not like stepping in poo but, you're actively looking to step in the said poo. You don't have to be here posting and reading about Osaka, go watch the tournaments happening and comment there. You're actively seeking to discuss her by posting on these threads. She lives rent free in your head, don't want poo, don't step in it.
Maybe it's more like a dog took a poo in the room... But then, some posters are just like the bad smell of it, it's damn sure to find them in every controversial thread.
 
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MichaelNadal

Bionic Poster
Funny how she wants to play again so soon now that Raducanu has all the attention.

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King No1e

G.O.A.T.
Funny how she wants to play again so soon now that Raducanu has all the attention.
It's not about attention. You're probably right that she wants to come back now because of Raducanu. Well, she's a top pro - I'd be more concerned if she saw the game passing her by and didn't feel the urge to return and start curbstomping the competition again. That's not being an attention wh0re or whatever y'all are accusing her of being, that's the competitive fire that got her to where she was in the first place. Hasn't Djokovic said before that his late-career comeback was partially inspired by Federer's?
It's the struggle between competitive desire and burnout that so many pro athletes have had to face at some stage in their career. With Osaka it's a bit starker because she seems to have some form of clinical depression, but it's fascinating to see regardless.
I don't know about you guys, but I'm rooting for her now. The game's been missing her.

(This is not a sh1tpost btw, this what I actually think for once)
 
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Dolgopolov85

G.O.A.T.
It's not about attention. You're probably right that she wants to come back now because of Raducanu. Well, she's a top pro - I'd be more concerned if she saw the game passing her by and didn't feel the urge to return and start curbstomping the competition again. That's not being an attention wh0re or whatever y'all are accusing her of being, that's the competitive fire that got her to where she was in the first place. Hasn't Djokovic said before that his late-career comeback was partially inspired by Federer's?
It's the struggle between competitive desire and burnout that so many pro athletes have had to face at some stage in their career. With Osaka it's a bit starker because she seems to have some form of clinical depression, but it's fascinating to see regardless.
I don't know about you guys, but I'm rooting for her now. The game's been missing her.

(This is not a sh1tpost btw, this what I actually think for once)
Thank you, exceedingly well said. It is a positive and not a negative that she feels motivated by the rise of Raducanu /Fernandez to get back to tennis. But then she thinks about the press, the critics and then she gets confused again. So, if anything, it's proof that her state of mind is not in a great way and she's not making up her complaints. You can see it in the HBO conversation too where BJK is urging her to shut out the critics but Osaka can't. For whatever reason, it bothers her.
 

mxmx

Hall of Fame
Sunny is at least real, you are fake, Rich Schweikart reeks of inferiority complex.

Plus Graf is not pretty by any stretch of imagination, my DP is of Novak and his wife, both of them are better looking than Steffi Graf....
If that's true, then you ARE really 14 years old as many might have suspected.

Lol at your posts thinking marketability = greatness.

Let me guess: to you looks = greatness?
 

Sunny014

Legend
If that's true, then you ARE really 14 years old as many might have suspected.

Lol at your posts thinking marketability = greatness.

Let me guess: to you looks = greatness?

Marketability among equals ???

Ohh yes, that is greatness

Guys with 20-22 slams are all in the same league, someone with 22 doesn't magically become better than 20 because of a lead of 2, those 1-2 slams are seperated by some points that could have gone either ways and statistically all of them have points to mark their greatness....

So marketability is what acts as a tie breaker, whoever has more fans has more votes for GOAThood because every fan who believes their hero is GOAT (as said by @clayqueen ) gives their hero a subjective edge

If Novak has very few people who feel he is GOAT despite his numbers then sorry, he is not the GOAT, because GOAT is not some objective term written in any record books that you can chase, it comes from the fans itself, so if you cannot sell yourself to the fans then you are not the GOAT, as simple as that.
 

mxmx

Hall of Fame
They hate her so much they can't stop talking about her. It's like Democrats going on and on about Trump. And that's exactly how you make a person powerful - by showering attention on them even while claiming to loathe them.
Good post.
 

mxmx

Hall of Fame
You think COVID is real? What else do you think, that the moon landing and the [insert genocide here] happened? Wake up ya sheep!
Kubrick was so good with Space Oddesy that it does generate doubt as to what's real and what isn't, especially for that time. Perhaps a big budget movie set is still more practical than actually having gone to the moon in a vacuum of space? Did he mock and refer to it in The Shining with the kids jersey? Who knows. Almost like a movie script could have been created for nine eleven, except the profit and power is gained with people's lives. Or perhaps the movie Contagion which very much predicted current human behaviour to a tee. Perhaps some clever people have learnt how to manipulate a lot of people, enough to cloud the truth in murky oceans of fake information.
 
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thrust

Legend
Just remember if Naomi loose an early round match again, she will be in a deeper distressed mental shape! Ranking will be a focus by the tennis media although they been the best to her in their spin of her problems blaming the load of fame and her obligations now, not her!
TRUE!
 

sportmac

Hall of Fame
All of this concern by you mentally sound and stable people. Did all of you get all beside yourselves over Fish? How about Terry Bradshaw talking about his mental struggles? Or Michael Phelps? The Rock? Ricky Williams? Or is it that she's talking about it while she's playing? Or is it that she's a woman?
 

mxmx

Hall of Fame
Marketability among equals ???

Ohh yes, that is greatness

Guys with 20-22 slams are all in the same league, someone with 22 doesn't magically become better than 20 because of a lead of 2, those 1-2 slams are seperated by some points that could have gone either ways and statistically all of them have points to mark their greatness....

So marketability is what acts as a tie breaker, whoever has more fans has more votes for GOAThood because every fan who believes their hero is GOAT (as said by @clayqueen ) gives their hero a subjective edge

If Novak has very few people who feel he is GOAT despite his numbers then sorry, he is not the GOAT, because GOAT is not some objective term written in any record books that you can chase, it comes from the fans itself, so if you cannot sell yourself to the fans then you are not the GOAT, as simple as that.
Novak isn't inferior to Roger due to marketability, but rather due to lack of quality opponents faced compared to Roger in various era's. This may change though. Yes, Roger will probably always be more likeable and more marketable, but that too won't be the reasons why he can be seen as greater.

Is Sharapova greater than Venus or Graf? No...yet she was/is more marketable.

You say it only applies in tie breakers. I beg to differ. She may simply have better marketing skills or simply a will to be followed more on Instagram. When it comes to the Big 3, Nike perhaps only out-witted Adidas, not because Nadal or Federer is greater than Djokovic, but because the companies behind them made good decisions, hence more profits.

The same can be said of fans. Fans do not = greatness of a player. It's too subjective.

To use an analogy:
It's like saying the "Barbie Girl by Aqua" track (which was a hit) means the band is superior to other really great bands with real musicians just because they were marketable.
 

Sunny014

Legend
Novak isn't inferior to Roger due to marketability, but rather due to lack of quality opponents faced compared to Roger in various era's. This may change though. Yes, Roger will probably always be more likeable and more marketable, but that too won't be the reasons why he can be seen as greater.

Is Sharapova greater than Venus or Graf? No...yet she was/is more marketable.

You say it only applies in tie breakers. I beg to differ. She may simply have better marketing skills or simply a will to be followed more on Instagram. When it comes to the Big 3, Nike perhaps only out-witted Adidas, not because Nadal or Federer is greater than Djokovic, but because the companies behind them made good decisions, hence more profits.

The same can be said of fans. Fans do not = greatness of a player. It's too subjective.

To use an analogy:
It's like saying the "Barbie Girl by Aqua" track (which was a hit) means the band is superior to other really great bands with real musicians just because they were marketable.


You have not read what I have written.

I said Marketability among equals.

Sharaopova and Graf are no equals in tenis achievements, only GOAT candidates can be compared.

Serena's equal is Graf/Martina/Seles/Evert/King etc etc ...... You cannot bring Maria's marketability, but in Graf vs Serena you could use marketability as an argument

Sameway Novak-Pete-Roger-Rafa can be compared on marketability, you cannot bring Nishikori into this.....
 

Shaolin

G.O.A.T.
It's not about attention. You're probably right that she wants to come back now because of Raducanu. Well, she's a top pro - I'd be more concerned if she saw the game passing her by and didn't feel the urge to return and start curbstomping the competition again. That's not being an attention wh0re or whatever y'all are accusing her of being, that's the competitive fire that got her to where she was in the first place. Hasn't Djokovic said before that his late-career comeback was partially inspired by Federer's?
It's the struggle between competitive desire and burnout that so many pro athletes have had to face at some stage in their career. With Osaka it's a bit starker because she seems to have some form of clinical depression, but it's fascinating to see regardless.
I don't know about you guys, but I'm rooting for her now. The game's been missing her.

(This is not a sh1tpost btw, this what I actually think for once)

I hope she gets her competitive fire/love for the game back. Would be nice to see her play Radu in top form and develop a rivalry.
 

mxmx

Hall of Fame
You have not read what I have written.

I said Marketability among equals.

Sharaopova and Graf are no equals in tenis achievements, only GOAT candidates can be compared.

Serena's equal is Graf/Martina/Seles/Evert/King etc etc ...... You cannot bring Maria's marketability, but in Graf vs Serena you could use marketability as an argument

Sameway Novak-Pete-Roger-Rafa can be compared on marketability, you cannot bring Nishikori into this.....
I read and understood what you said and fully disagree.

Did YOU read what I said? I compared non-equals as well as equals and I explained why marketability has nothing to do with what we should perceive as greatness. The companies they involved themselves with (which results in revenues) do not affect their greatness.

It's just a silly idea. Interesting but still silly in reality.
 

Sunny014

Legend
I read and understood what you said and fully disagree.

Did YOU read what I said? I compared non-equals as well as equals and I explained why marketability has nothing to do with what we should perceive as greatness. The companies they involved themselves with (which results in revenues) do not affect their greatness.

It's just a silly idea. Interesting but still silly in reality.

Who will watch Tennis if the players are not marketable?

If I win a slam now and people don't wanna watch me play because they don't rate me high and my winning is because of the game being dull, no rivals, courts being so grindy etc etc then is there any use of me winning?

A part of greatness is to sell your greatness as well, thats where Novak lacks and when Novak goes down then guys like Medvedev, Zverev and those other ugly 6'5+ Giants will fail to market themselves among kids.

This is all connected
 
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RaulRamirez

Legend
Great summary. I think she suffers from identify crisis. She was born in Japan but raised in the US. If you remember her first US Open win, she was constantly bowing hither and yon. She talks about how terrible the US is but she was given her mother's name instead of her father's. Why? Because it was intended she and her sister were to be raised in Japan and her mother feared "backlash" (i.e. racism) against the girls. I think the absolute worst thing that could have happened to her was the USTA rescheduling those matches because she said she'd default if they didn't. And what's so wrong with being the highest paid women's tennis player anyway?
When did she ever talk about how terrible the U.S. is?
 

Rabbit

G.O.A.T.
When did she ever talk about how terrible the U.S. is?
All the time, haven't you been following her critiques of social trends in the US?

Now, she is quoted as saying she can't wait to get back to playing and she withdraws from Indian Wells.
 

RaulRamirez

Legend
I wish her well.
Not every professional athlete handles everything in the same way, or equally well.
When you think about it, she seemed to be wise and calm way beyond her years at the 2018 US Open.
From my perspective, between then and say, RG 2021, I thought the same. She appears to be an introvert, but I always enjoyed her press conferences and on-court interviews.
...
Now, it's all a little confusing to me.
Is she seeking attention?
is she clinically depressed?
Is she confused?
Does she want things both ways, and to use the media conveniently and selectively?
Is she truly trying -- often in the public eye -- to have the best career both on and off the court, and trying to make a difference in the world at the same time?

I can't answer these with certainty.
I cut her some slack, as she's young, a great player, and everything I knew/thought about her before all this was positive.
So, I wish her well (which means, I'll never root against her, but may root for her opponent in a given match/tourney), and will kind of wait and see.
 

RaulRamirez

Legend
All the time, haven't you been following her critiques of social trends in the US?

Now, she is quoted as saying she can't wait to get back to playing and she withdraws from Indian Wells.
I'm not aware of that, to be honest. I thought you were referring to her speaking out, to some extent, about police violence against blacks, and I applaud her for that.
Which social trends has she been critical of, and how is that saying that the US is so terrible?
 

NonP

Legend
Actual tennis tournaments are taking place and yet Osaka is still the one getting the attention, headlines and posts from people here. The power she has. Bigger than the sport at the moment it seems.

She was the friggin' cauldron lighter at Tokyo. Of course she's bigger than just about every other tennis player. The diehards have no clue just how little currency tennis enjoys among the general public.

I'm not aware of that, to be honest. I thought you were referring to her speaking out, to some extent, about police violence against blacks, and I applaud her for that.
Which social trends has she been critical of, and how is that saying that the US is so terrible?

To the anti-woke criticism of national policy = dissing the nation. And dissing the woke is their own idea of virtue signaling.
 

RaulRamirez

Legend
She was the friggin' cauldron lighter at Tokyo. Of course she's bigger than just about every other tennis player. The diehards have no clue just how little currency tennis enjoys among the general public.



To the anti-woke criticism of national policy = dissing the nation. And dissing the woke is their own idea of virtue signaling.
I get that (and agree with you), but I was wondering if there was something else that she said that was more generally negative about the US. I don't want to steer this too socially/politically, but others kind of brought it there, and to my thinking, much more importantly than who we root for as tennis players, or who we analyze to be better than the other, is who we are as human beings.
To be honest, I generally don't care all that much about people's political views, but I do find that there is often a very casual, accepted level of racism, xenophobia and misogyny here.
 
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R. Schweikart

Professional
She was the friggin' cauldron lighter at Tokyo. Of course she's bigger than just about every other tennis player. The diehards have no clue just how little currency tennis enjoys among the general public.
...

How many Olympic cauldron lighters of the last 20 years do you still know?
 

Musterrific

Hall of Fame
This Osaka thread has 53 posts in 12 hours. The ATP San Diego thread has just 20 posts, the Sofia ATP tournament thread has just 12 posts. She literally is more popular than entire men's tournaments at this point on TTW. They're more interested in discussing her than the actual men's tennis. Hilarious.

They're small 250's with a bunch of nobodies playing them. Boring.
 

NonP

Legend
I get that (and agree with you), but I was wondering if there was something else that she said that was more generally negative about the US. I don't want to steer this too socially/politically, but others kind of brought it there, and to my thinking, much more importantly than who we root for as tennis players, or who we analyze to be better than the other, is who we are as human beings.
To be honest, I generally don't care all that much about people's political views, but I do find that there is often a very casual, accepted level of racism, xenophobia and misogyny here.

Gotcha but it's really irrelevant what she said. She makes the anti-woke posse lose their sh|t for this reason only: she's a Black woman who supports BLM. That's it. The rest is just noise.

How many Olympic cauldron lighters of the last 20 years do you still know?

Since '96 (the 1st Os I followed from start to finish) I can name, without looking, Ali, Cathy Freeman, Gretzky, Yuna Kim and Osaka. The rest escape me because 1) I didn't watch the ceremony (Nagano, Salt Lake), 2) they weren't that famous (Athens, Turin, Beijing, Sochi, Rio) or 3) there were too many (London).

Obviously Naomi isn't in the same class as Ali (no one is) and probably still lags behind Gretzky in name recognition, but her cultural cachet almost certainly exceeds Kim's now. My septuagenarian mum still has no clue about any of the Big 3 or Serena (this after moi telling her on at least half a dozen occasions) and the most recent tennis players she can name are Evert and Navratilova. And she continues to live in (East) Asia, which means even Gretzky remains unknown to her. But now she knows who Osaka is. I bet she's hardly alone.
 
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