tennis

15-year-old Gauff upsets Osaka at Australian Open

18 Comments
By HOWARD FENDRICH

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18 Comments
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Most elite sports players go through "the troubles" at one time or another.

At still 22 years of age, Naomi has the time and professional support to turn her game around.

Withstanding serious injury she has at least a decade of high level competition ahead of her.

Interesting that the current #1 - Ash Barty - quit the game for near on 2 years from the age of 18 to take a break from the pressures, live a "normal" life and took up the challenge of womens cricket even though she had never played the game. Refreshed with a new clear vision she returned to tennis in 2017 and became world number 1 in 2019. If you listen to her speak it's not difficult to inderstand her "team first" positivism.

On the contrary Naomi has never had a break and instead at a similar age had the weight of the world (mainly Japan) thrust upon her and she hasn't grown well with such a limelight and expectations. This was all confirmed by her sponsor Nike's ad last year, which basically said to all "Just back off". Her stress must be real and debilitating as I doubt in the history of pro-sport has a major sponsor made such a public statement. If you haven't seen the ad check it out on youtube.

Also as has been stated, Coco's level of maturity, temperament and skill is way beyond her years. She is younger than most participants in the Junior section of the Aust Open. Her victory is no shock.

And if you haven't already done so, I recommend you to watch the post match interviews of both Coco & Naomi on the Australian Open website - ausopen.com - to get an accurate insight into both players current state of being. Very telling.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I think last time Osaka beat Gauff she still had the coach she fired, no? I think Gauff is going to be a wonderful player if she's already doing this at 15. Osaka? She needs to get over whatever attitude problem she's suffering or she will not only fail to progress, she'll plummet. It seems once she really started taking in the endorsements and the media attention, and then fired her coach, she lost.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Disappointing for Naomi-chan, but she now will prepare for the biggest tournament of her career - Tokyo 2020

Yeah, like, all the top players don't a damn about Roland Garros or Wimbledon.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Mayunia82:

@socrateos Interesting. Do you think that she lacks a "killer instinct" (phrase that many people in sports use)?

Yes. Of course, she wants to win every match as normal people do. But she does not have such desire to be No. 1 any more after the traumatic experience at the infamous US Open. Audience was not happy when she won. Why does she want to be the world champion if it makes her miserable?

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

@socrateos Interesting. Do you think that she lacks a "killer instinct" (phrase that many people in sports use)?

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Mayunia82

I hope she will understand happiness come to life because of success in life.

Success requires hard works, which makes you unhappy for the moment. Perhaps the success (being the world champion) did not give her happiness (all she got was booing at US Open, for example), at least not enough to justify the hard works that required to achieve.

I do not think she is hungry for championship.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

No one has changed Coach after two grand slam wins.

!!!

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Don't change the coach and changing coach is not an answer for her. All she needs to do it, work hard, train hard and move on. She has to honest herself and accept the truth. she has wasted for a whole year with fire coach and finding coach again when Coco Gauff was trained hard and focus on her destiny. Coco Gauff deserved all. I have to give all credit to Coco Gauff for everything. Coco Gauff is more mature than Naomi-chan. She does not need to be upset about losing to better player. Win some game and lose some games in life.

“I’m not going to sacrifice that just to keep a person around. I have to be happy with where I am at my life. I feel like I worked really hard – maybe not for 21 years, but for 17 years – to be No 1 and to win grand slams.”

I hope she will understand happiness come to life because of success in life.

No one has changed Coach after two grand slam wins. I don't think she will be back to the winning form even if Sascha Bajin coached her again. Now I saw her 2018 the US Open final quality tennis was absent from her. Her parent needs to find a sport psychologist outside Japan and help her back to the road. Today she played very bad and my wife stops watching her game. She will lose her sponsors if she goes like this. Sponsors won't be scarified for someone who is sinking.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

gentlemen, ladies,

it is not an upset victory. You are looking at the future nr 1 for many years.

miss Gauff is an athlete, already a personality and very composed.

Miss Osaka’s problems have nothing to do with tennis. Already she has lost focus. that is not a criticism. It is a fact. She must spent hours on how she looks, and how to please. Please the press, crowd, ...

Incredible but true she misses self confidence. She needs a mental coach or rather a confidante. This is not going good and i am not talking about tennis. There are other ghosts.

8 ( +10 / -2 )

What? this is a shocker. She must've been having a bad day or possible playing with an underlying injury.

-5 ( +2 / -7 )

Does anyone know what are Osaka's numbers after she fired her previous coach?

3 ( +4 / -1 )

I’m not sure people rank a tennis gold in the Olympics as highly as a grand slam, cobber.

Considering the stories coming out of so many top ranked players taking a pass on the Olympics in favor of ATP tournaments and such, it isn't.

About the only country that you can guarantee will have their 'best' players will probably be Japan, because Nissin and UniQlo will threaten Nishikori and Osaka with losing their sponsorship deals if they don't.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Osaka playing in Tokyo is big but the pressure will just ramp up and it seems she is not a good front runner. Either that or her new coach is not as good as her old coach.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Disappointing for Naomi-chan, but she now will prepare for the biggest tournament of her career - Tokyo 2020.

I’m not sure people rank a tennis gold in the Olympics as highly as a grand slam, cobber.

7 ( +9 / -2 )

Must be a tight slap on Osaka's face to lose to Gauff.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

Well played, Gauff. Definitely a future Champion and World No. 1. Disappointing for Naomi-chan, but she now will prepare for the biggest tournament of her career - Tokyo 2020.

-4 ( +4 / -8 )

First Serena Williams, then Naomi Osaka

Big upsets today

Both won easily the last time they played today's opponents, but today both lost

1 ( +1 / -0 )

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