‘Naomi Osaka’, the Tennis Player Pioneer Who Keeps On Making History
We all know the saying “Before you judge a man, walk a mile in his shoes”, and that saying couldn’t ring any truer in this case. I don’t know much about the world of tennis except for learning a bit about it through the world champion Serena Williams and the movie Wimbledon (2004). Both are great introductions into their world but Naomi Osaka’s documentary on Netflix was an eye-opener and certainly one to be proud of as an Asian myself.
She is a pioneer in her field because she’s the first Asian tennis player to win the Grand Slam tournaments (world’s four most important annual professional tennis events according to Wikipedia), and she has won 2 out of 4 of these events four times.
- United States Open Tennis Championships 2018
- Australian Open 2019
- United States Open Tennis Championships 2020
- Australian Open 2021
The documentary is broken down into 3 short episodes, each representing 3 important stages of her life. First, the “RISE” as she receives her first Grand Slam win in 2018, beating Serena Williams, and her rise to fame and media attention. Second, the “CHAMPION MENTALITY” and needing to maintain and increase her championship record, as well as her mental struggle after losing her close friend and coach, Kobe Bryant. May he rest in peace. And lastly, the “NEW BLUEPRINT” which documents her comeback and carving her own path instead of following the path of others.
The third episode is what truly defined Naomi Osaka and set her apart from the rest of the tennis players because she found herself and what she stood for. All of this begins with her own realization when she says the following lines in episode 3.
She does multiple things that puts her high up in terms of impact. But to name just a few that were mentioned in her documentary.
- She is the FIRST Asian tennis player to be placed number 1. In fact ever since she has gone professional with her career it is important to note that she represents Japan. And this should be noted because it’s a very historic step. She is history in body and on paper. (Side note: I was a little sad to know she had to give up her US citizenship in order to play for Japan in the 2020 Olympics)
- Announced that she wouldn’t be competing in the semifinal match at the Western & Southern Open in order to join in solidarity with the rest of the athletes protesting racial injustice following the murders of several Black Americans such as Jacob Blake, Breonna Taylor and many more. And as a result the tournament had to be rescheduled, a very rare occurrence. She made an impact and brought attention in her own field.
- The seven matches and the seven masks at the 2020 US open tournament. She needed to win seven matches in order to secure another Grand Slam win, and she did that by raising awareness again by wearing seven masks with embroidered names of a Black American who were killed for no reason. She started off with Breonna Taylor, Elijah McClain, Ahmaud Arbery, Trayvon Martin, George Floyd, Philando Castile, and then finally, Tamir Rice.
I also have to give it up to her family, who are so proud of her in terms of achievements and impact. And that also includes her team and her couch. Can we also talk about her boyfriend? He has been with her since episode 1 to 3 and I think he deserves a little appreciation. The comments of both her mother and father were so sweet after she made it clear to the public on where she stood in terms of the Black Lives Matter.
Also, I, for one, DO NOT understand the backlash and the negative media attention she got from deciding to withdraw from the French Open a few months ago. According to her twitter post she has been battling depression since the 2018 US open and is struggling with mental illness. And she mentions needing a break and specifically a mental one in her documentary, so this is no recent issue. Maybe her critics who seem to know everything should watch her documentary and then make their judgements.
Anyone, whether they are champions or not, are allowed to take the necessary breaks and time to themselves when their health is on the line. No questions asked. It’s ridiculous what she has to go through just for being open and for putting herself first. And even in the first episode of the documentary she notes that the attention she started getting from winning her first Grand Slam was “ridiculous”. it is still ridiculous because they won’t leave her be and they still won’t years later.
Her documentary made me a fan of her. I’m older than her by a few years but her impact in the span of few years is greater than the impact of some who has been working in the same field for years. It takes a lot of gut, courage and knowing oneself to come forward with such transparency as she has. This documentary is just the first glimpse into what Naomi Osaka is capable of doing and achieving.
