Naomi Osaka staying true to herself despite rising stardom
In a matter of a few months this year, Naomi Osaka went from a promising tennis talent to one of the world’s hottest sports stars. She won her first Grand Slam title, stunning Serena Williams at the US Open final, and then had a memorable appearance on Ellen DeGeneres’ popular chat show.
With Adidas reportedly offering her a US$10 million contract renewal – the biggest deal ever offered to a female athlete by the sports apparel giant – it is easy to be under the impression that the 21-year-old has the world under her feet.
Yet for all the power the Japanese exudes – even on the courts, she is known for her strong serve and aggressive style – it is also clear that she is a reserved, introspective young adult still coming to grips with her sudden flush of success.
“I don’t really have time to think about, like, my life changing or anything,” she said in a soft drawl during her media conference on Saturday (20 October), ahead of the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global from 21 to 28 October.
“For me, I’m just more thinking about my next match and my next tournament. So, yeah, I feel like I would need the year to end to maybe process more.”
Born to a Haitian father and Japanese mother, Osaka has enjoyed a meteoric rise this year as she won her first title on the WTA professional circuit at Indian Wells, California, in March before her US Open triumph.
In public, surrounded by the intense and incessant media glare, Osaka can come across as aloof and unsmiling, especially when compared to more outgoing tennis personalities such as Williams, Caroline Wozniacki or Sloane Stephens.
Yet, once she warms up in interviews, she can be disarmingly honest in between self-conscious giggles.
When asked about her desire to prove herself as a respected player on the WTA circuit, she shrugged and said, “I kind of got over the need to prove myself. Everyone wants to do well, but I don’t want to put too much, like, burden on myself to keep having high expectations. I shouldn’t expect myself to win every match.
“I don’t want to say I don’t care what other people think, because of course you do,” she continued, then paused as she searched for the right words to say. “But I don’t put other people’s expectations on myself. I put my own expectations on myself.”
Such assuredness served Osaka well at the US Open final in September, when she managed to maintain her poise even as Williams lost hers during a fierce and controversial argument with the umpire. Barely affected by her opponent’s outburst, she closed out the match like a seasoned veteran for the biggest win of her fledgling career.
It would seem that, despite her reticence as a public figure, she does have a great ambition to be even more successful on the tennis courts, even as she faces the prospect of a deluge of off-court commitments due to her fame.
“I don’t necessarily want to have the feeling of satisfaction, because that means that you think you have reached your goal. For me, I don’t want to stop here,” she said.
“I just play tennis and I leave the rest up to everyone that I trust. I talk to my dad the most, because I feel like he’s the one that calms me down. The best advice he’s given me is that everyone has their own path. You shouldn’t really compare yourself to other people.”
As her career trajectory is set to continue upwards, Osaka has expressed her determination to stay true to herself despite her rising stature as a popular sports figure.
She said, “I feel like people will dislike someone no matter what if they make up their minds. So, for me, I never really thought about changing how I am.
“If I was just sort of like a robot with yes-and-no (answers), I feel like that wouldn’t really be true to myself or anything. So I haven’t really thought about changing my personality.”
Osaka won the WTA Rising Stars tournament on the sidelines of the 2015 WTA Finals Singapore, but will begin her proper singles debut on Monday, when she faces fellow newcomer Sloane Stephens.
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