tennis

Naomi Osaka loses 2nd round match in Dubai

29 Comments

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29 Comments
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What's that expression about not fixing something that isn't broken. Sad but predictable. Rather than firing her coach (no warm fuzzy feelings apparently) maybe she should have compartmentalized her life into work and pleasure. Most people don't get warm fuzzies from everyone they work with. Hope she bounces back soon but this is now a "thing" for the media to bring up. Another Grand slam win and they will drop it but until then, they will ask the question.

4 ( +8 / -4 )

Too many Nissin Cup Noodles?

-4 ( +3 / -7 )

No real surprise here.

Players don’t fire their coach after they help you win two grand slams & you attain number one ranking in the world. This was all achieved within a year of being hired too.

There’s more to this story than she is letting on.

5 ( +10 / -5 )

God, the gossipy armchair psychologists with insider knowledge & insights about a two time Grand Slam winner who is also a poised young woman. Yes, if only she'd listen more to anonymous voices on the internets.

1 ( +9 / -8 )

There will be good days, great days and bad days...you just have to take the rough with the smooth. Hopefully she will take this loss as a time to refocus and come back stronger in her next outing.

"You can't win them all."

Cornelius McGillicuddy
7 ( +7 / -0 )

She says she wants happiness over success, although I can't imagine she's terribly happy now!

2 ( +6 / -4 )

and suddenly tennis topics get lots of comments! unfortunately for gossip... After a winning streak, and suddenly with lots of attention and pressure, it will be a difficult period to adapt. Especially until she finds a new coach, without a coach is difficult to prepare for a tournament. All the best Naomi, and I hope you don't read the social media too much!

6 ( +7 / -1 )

"I think the reason is I wouldnt put success over my happiness."

i think its pretty clear. He pushed her really hard to bring her tennis game to where she could compete with the best. If shes not happy with that coaching then she may not have what it takes. Its a very tough sport at the top level, physically and mentally.

I wonder how long she will stay number 1.

9 ( +10 / -1 )

She should go over video of the matches with her coa...ohhhhhh...never mind.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

No big deal, many of the greats have had early round exits in their lives. Hope she can bounce back and silence the doubters.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

As feared, once she split up with her coach, it's downhill. Focus a little less on the commercial endorsements and media attention (which she only now says she doesn't like after splitting with coach), and get back to what your previous coach taught you. Hopefully this was just a fluke loss, but we'll see.

1 ( +7 / -6 )

She has achieved the top ranking in the entire world, what was Bajin pushing for next? Even harder work? 

What she was doing was at least enough. But maybe it was too much to be sustainable.

It was a rapid rise over the last year, if she wants to take it a little easier she should. She's only just begun, there's no point in burning out now. Find a good balance!

As feared, once she split up with her coach, it's downhill.

Well she's number one, there's only downhill either way. (Speaking of directions, I see Nishikori is back to World Number 6 now - someone thought his career was done this time last year!)

Focus a little less on the commercial endorsements and media attention 

Sheez, such a broken record...

-6 ( +2 / -8 )

If she doesn’t want too much attention, then she must avoid reading the news and social media. She is now world known for playing great tennis...for that, she is a Hot topic. Naomi should decline interviews which are not tennis related, especially japanese media who ask her non-sense questions such as “what food do you want to eat after a great match? or whatsoever...also, avoid intriguing interviews.

Win or lose, there would be write up about her. .. She should get over it. Otherwise, quit! She has a choice anyway to creat topic about herself... A victorious Naomi how she won the game or a defeated Naomi how she lost the game....

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

You reap what you sow. The world of sporting is filled with examples of those who parted ways with their coaches and then never achieved their previous levels of success.

The problem is, Naomi is still very young and from what I have seen of her, she tends to get emotional about many things in life.

Your coach isn't necessarily your best friend, and sometimes you need that separation in order to stay motivated and hungry.

3 ( +6 / -3 )

Opps, I guess when she plummets from #1 (undeserved anyway), she can thank herself and team around her for letting go of the coach which helped her get there.

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

You reap what you sow. 

Well she has made it clear that there is something about being happy, that is more important to her than tennis success. Bravo I say.

She owes it to nobody - nobody - to maintain her number 1 ranking.

She owes it to herself to make sure she does what she needs to, to be happy.

With any luck, she will find a way to have both - it's very conceivable.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

No big deal, many of the greats have had early round exits in their lives. Hope she can bounce back and silence the doubters.

Exactly. Mladenovic isn't a nobody ( former top 10) & can beat anyone on a good day (pbm is they're few and far between lol).

3 ( +3 / -0 )

I suspect that the problem for many commenters is watching a powerful and successful young woman firing her male employee.

-7 ( +2 / -9 )

Serena Williams jinxed it

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

If being happy is more important to her than tennis success why did she cry after this loss?

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Losing this match doesn't affect her ranking much, if at all. 

The ranking points she gained for winning the US and Australian opens are hers, until those tournaments are played again. Next big points to drop would be those she got for her win in Indian Wells last year.

The amazing thing is that the only 3 tournaments she ever won were two Grand Slams and Indian Wells. Once she has a new coach lined up she will surely start to pick up wins at smaller tournaments too.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

I don't really like attention...

Then her father shouldn't have made her represent Japan. She'd get a reasonable amount of attention as a US player, but not nearly the mass frenzy (and thus pressure) she gets in Japan.

3 ( +6 / -3 )

No matter what happens after tnis, she is already a huge success. No need for anyone else to try to define it for her. Happiness is way more important. Glad she can see that at such a relatively young age.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Not many people can handle the spotlight

(or at least, not right away)

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Naomi's such a humble person and has stated that she is more comfortable being at the back of the pack than at the front of it. She may perform better being in the back.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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