Osaka feels 'itch' to make tennis return 'soon'

"Even when I am feeling down I know I need to act a certain way in front of the world's press. We need to remember that tennis players are athletes and professionals, but we are also human too."

I think Roger (and all pro athletes) needs to remember that the wealth he receives as a tennis player is not due to his athletic skill alone, but mainly due to his value as entertainment. People pay because they want to be entertained, and nowadays that means entertainers have to maintain an image - even when it's difficult.

Top players are extremely well compensated and can live lifestyles most can only dream about. It's not a good look to complain about the relative difficulties entailed in becoming so fabulously wealthy. Most people who spend money on them have far more difficult problems.

Please NO, don't return. As I have no itch to ever see or hear your BS again!!! Stay home and play e-tennis or something, quietly!!!

Perhaps the itch she feels is her sponsors letting her know that they are going to drop her if she doesn't start scratching (competing) again. I empathize with her mental health issues and think she should take all the time she needs to get better. If she is truly concerned about her health, take more time. Moods (itches) change like the days of the week, so she shouldn't subject herself to the stress of competition until she is definitely ready to return. I do hope that she will come back and do well when she is able, just worry that she is rushing her return and hope that she isn't doing so for the wrong reasons.

Flip - flop, followed by flip-flop.

Welll, that was a pretty long indefinite break. Doesn't seem like much of a convalesence.

I think its fair to say Japan Inc made a huge mistake jumping on the Naomi bandwagon. Hoping to gain from having a "Japanese" star for the Olympics. How did that turn out? They must be regretting their investment in this immature flip flopping moaner. Naomi chan.... just play tennis, something you are good at. Leave the rest at home.

If social media is the problem then the solution seems dead obvious to me.

I think its fair to say Japan Inc made a huge mistake jumping on the Naomi bandwagon.

I know she's still got US citizenship, but America is not going to want to have her. She is stuck with Japan (or is it the other way round?). Unless she starts playing exceedingly well again, the sponsors are not going to be happy. And if her level of play remains stagnant, just how much longer are they going to pay her? Sure, she might get a stipend, but tens of millions of dollars?

And then what, Naomi-chan???

No thanks, stay gone it hasn’t been entirely long enough.

And I think a lot has to be down to social media."

If social media is the problem then the solution seems dead obvious to me.

yes, get off social media !

nobody wants to know what you had for lunch

Excuse me, say the sponsors could you please make a court appearance to justify our commitment to you?

Scenario: She wins her first match- "I'm happy with the world again!" She loses her second game, "I'm stressed, I need a break." Drama queens belong on Broadway, not centre courts.

So just do everyone a favour and fade gracefully into the background.

And if her level of play remains stagnant, just how much longer are they going to pay her?

She's won 2 of the past 5 Grand Slam tournaments, and has so many ranking points that she remains ranked in the top-10 despite taking some big tournaments off (Wimbledon and half the French Open), and losing early at the US Open.

Why don't you give us a list of players who are doing better? There aren't very many.

Why don't you give us a list of players who are doing better? There aren't very many.

Barty, Sabalenka, Plíšková, Świątek, Krejčíková and Svitolina are all doing better than her. See the rankings. Now tell me, how many of those are actually earning as much as Osaka from sponsorship money?

Why don't you give us a list of players who are doing better?

Barty, Sabalenka, Plíšková, Świątek, Krejčíková and Svitolina

Osaka has four Grand Slam titles. Those six players you mentioned combine for four Grand Slam titles in their entire careers.

how many of those are actually earning as much as Osaka from sponsorship money?

None. Superior results bring in superior sponsorship opportunities.

Wing:

Osaka has only won ONE tournament this year (singles and doubles combined). And points from that tournament, Aus Open, are about to drop off early next year.

If we're going to be talking about accumulative numbers of GS, then how come she's earning more than Serena? We all know how many GS Serena has.

And NINETEEN sponsors? Gimme a break. I have little sympathy for multi-millionaires whining about not wanting to attend a press conference and still expecting a pay check. I have more sympathy for people under pressure to put bread on the table.

Yeah, rich people's problems, hey?

All the best, Naomi.

Hoping she is happy and healthy and can again enjoy playing the game she is great at!

Pukey:

I have little sympathy for multi-millionaires whining about not wanting to attend a press conference

You're confusing "being stressed about something" and having a mental illness. I promise you, they are not the same thing, and I hope you will an open mind about it. Stress can exacerbate mental illness, but that's separate from a healthy person just "feeling stressed."

Let me try an analogy. I'm a perfectly healthy person, luckily. If you asked me to walk 1km, and I whined about it, you could justifiably assume that I'm lazy or entitled. If Bob has a broken foot, and he didn't want to walk the 1 km, it's suddenly a different situation, isn't it? From the outside, Bob and I look the same - we're both complaining about the 1km - so it's easy to paint us both with the same brush: a bunch of whiners. But Bob has other issues that are made much worse by that same 1 km. It's the same for someone with a mental illness when they're thrust into certain challenging situations. Only, mental illnesses are internal, rather than external. We can't see their casts or crutches. So it becomes easy to assume that they're no different from the healthy guy who's whining about having to walk 1 km.

If we're going to be talking about accumulative numbers of GS, then how come she's earning more than Serena? We all know how many GS Serena has.

Because Serena's over the hill. Serena HAD a great number of sponsors over the years. But, as a rule of marketing, the "fresh new thing" tends to sell better than the thing that was fresh and new 20 years ago.

And NINETEEN sponsors? Gimme a break.

The sponsor issue is separate from the ability issue. I'll defend her skill all day long and won't hear any arguments otherwise. But corporate sponsorship is a different issue, and I'll definitely agree with you that sometimes it doesn't make sense. Accomplishments are part of it, but it also depends on someone's personality, their style, and their looks, among other things. And if you don't like Osaka's personality and style, then I can certainly understand you being baffled by her number of sponsorships. But a lot of people do. I think her race and nationality also plays into it - multiculturalism is a big selling point these days. Personally, I think that's unfortunate (I'd prefer it to be something that's awarded by merit), but that's the reality we live in.

Osaka has only won ONE tournament this year (singles and doubles combined). And points from that tournament, Aus Open, are about to drop off early next year.

Unless she wins it again. She's already done so twice. And that one tournament that she won this year? It was a Slam. Three of the six players you mentioned as doing better than her have never done that. Osaka has done it 4 times, more than any active player not named Williams.

I guess those sponsorship deals actually require her to play tennis. Wonder whether they require her to moan and complain.

Naomi Osaka says she will return to tennis soon after feeling the "itch" to play again.

In other words, her sponsors showed her the contracts. Either play, or get sued for breach of said contracts.

"I used to love the competition and just being competitive," she said. "If I were to play a long match, the longer it was the more fun it was for me.

"I just started to feel recently the longer it was the more stressed out I became, but I just needed a break to go within myself."

Wow, are these direct quotes? Sounds like someone needs to take some speech classes.

Naomi’s interviews were always painful to watch, in victory or defeat.

This AFP article doesn’t mention the last racquet she created ? -Was an earlier supporter of her playing. Now, not so much.

Take a lesson from Sumo, Naomi. People like to watch strong and focussed. Especially watch interviews with Sumo wrestlers after their bouts, actually you should maybe watch hundreds of them. They don’t have to say much. No-one os looking for eloquence. One golden word is usually enough. Even if they keep silent it’s allowed and accepted.

Let the interviewer struggle for a better question.

Edit above. “No one os = no one is…