It’s summer in the port city of Melbourne. The sun is shining, athletes and fans are sweating, every now and then a seagull poops on the pitch – and sometimes a butterfly drops by.
In the third round of the Australian Open, a particularly stubborn specimen joined Naomi Osaka. Before serving, it first flew to her nose, then sucked on the Japanese woman’s shin. Osaka could have done a lot at that moment. At least she had a bat in her hand. But she offered the butterfly a finger and then carried it from the place as carefully as if there was nothing more important at the moment. In a movie, Osaka and the butterfly might stand still in this scene.
Osaka has now won the tournament for the second time since 2019. And this moment stands for one of the secrets of her success: Osaka is at every moment with all her senses in the task that lies ahead.
This impressive focus was shown again and again in the important moments of her still young career: For example, when she won the US Open in 2018, where she was able to skilfully ignore the hubbub over a dispute between Serena Williams and the referee. Most recently in Melbourne, when she didn’t make any avoidable mistakes in the quarter-finals against Garbiñe Muguruza after parrying two match points from the Spaniard in the third set. Or again in the semifinals against Williams, when she won the last eight points of the match in a row.
The game against Muguruza in particular could have been one of the most instructive games for the 23-year-old. Osaka had got into trouble several times, several times she pulled her head out of the loop again, changed tactics, scored the points. She later said about the match that it was this victory that increased confidence in her own game, “because she is such a strong opponent and my back to the wall. Somehow I still had options «.
In any case, it is her mental strength that she is currently particularly proud of. “I just feel safe in myself as a person.” In recent years she has also learned “that it is okay not to be sure of yourself”. How did she do that? “I think it’s because I open up to my team more, talk more to my coach, tell him about my feelings before the match, instead of suppressing them and dealing with everything myself.” She was also back before the final I was “super nervous”: “I just told myself not to put pressure on myself to play perfectly, but just go out there and fight for every point.”
With her appearance at the Australian Open, Osaka has also confirmed a consistency that she previously lacked. Although she had confirmed her surprise success at the US Open 2018 with the Australian Open victory in January 2019, after that she succeeded little in 2019. The downside of success seemed to be holding them back.
The pandemic year 2020 gave her the chance to think about “what I want to achieve, what people should remember about me”. Today she focuses on the things that are important to her, that make her happy.
The highest paid female athlete in the world has been unbeaten for 21 matches.
“I used to make my entire existence dependent on whether I won or lost a tennis match. Not anymore, ”she said in Melbourne. She wants to use her platform to raise awareness of social injustice and inspire the next generation.
Many athletes have experienced how difficult it can be to convince on and off the pitch at the same time. “It’s about always concentrating on the task that lies ahead,” said tennis icon Billie Jean King in an interview with SPIEGEL: “Naomi does it really well.”
In the spotlight: Naomi Osaka
Photo: JAIMI JOY / REUTERS
This is confirmed by coach Wim Fissette. “It is very organized,” says the successful coach Osaka has been working with since the 2020 season. Not once did she skip a training session or even be late. “As soon as we were done for the day, she took care of her other business. In her case, preoccupation with Black Lives Matter was a good distraction.
The same goes for her interest in fashion. ”
With Fissette, the strong server wanted to work primarily on her return game.
The Belgian sees further potential, however.
The backhand slice still needs work, he told the Dutch “Tennis Magazine”. Osaka doesn’t feel so comfortable on the internet either, as was evident in the final against Jennifer Brady. On grass or sand, the power player has not yet made it past the third round.
This is also good news for Fissette. After all, there are still development opportunities. “I’m really looking forward to the clay court and lawn season,” said the 52-year-old.
Osaka lives for the big stage. For finals, because: “This is where you stand out from the others.” Osaka has won each of their Grand Slam finals, four of their six tournament victories are major titles.
The Melbourne final was the first in which she was the more experienced player on the pitch.
Naomi Osaka has all the prerequisites to become a formative personality for the years to come. In tennis, in sports. When asked about the greatest thing she still wants to achieve in her career, she says: “I want to be there long enough to play against a girl who would say I was her favorite player. For me this is the coolest thing that could ever happen to me. ”
The metamorphosis from winner to champion was successful.
The game against Muguruza in particular could have been one of the most instructive games for the 23-year-old. Osaka had got into trouble several times, several times she pulled her head out of the loop again, changed tactics, scored the points. She later said about the match that it was this victory that increased confidence in her own game, “because she is such a strong opponent and my back to the wall. Somehow I still had options «.
