Paris (AP) – Hardly a week has passed in the past few months in which there was no news from Naomi Osaka. Here is a new cover shoot, there is another sponsorship contract. The 23-year-old Japanese is the tennis superstar that the WTA women’s tour has longed for.
There is still Serena Williams, but there is a big gap behind the now 39-year-old American. Unlike the men, where thanks to a clever marketing strategy behind Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic with players like Stefanos Tsitsipas, Dominic Thiem or Alexander Zverev, new faces have positioned themselves.
The constantly changing Grand Slam tournament winners testify to an exciting competition, but for a long time did not contribute to a player being able to position himself as a new figurehead.
Dedicated sportswoman
It was not until Osaka, now four-time Grand Slam tournament winner and the best-paid athlete in the world with an estimated annual income of $ 37 million, that she slipped into the role of the industry’s new role model. Mainly because Osaka, father from Haiti and mother from Japan, also has something to say off the pitch.
Last year she caused a stir at the tournament, which was moved from Cincinnati to New York, when she initially failed to make it to the semifinals to draw attention to the police violence against blacks in the United States. On that day, all matches were canceled. At the US Open that followed, she wore a mask around every game on which the name of a victim was written.
Silent top star
Osaka’s words have weight and substance – all the more sad that the number two in the world is silent during the French Open with the exception of the short winners interviews after the games. A few days before the second Grand Slam tournament of the season, the Japanese announced completely surprisingly on social media that she would not talk to journalists in Paris. She wanted to point out the mental exertion that tennis professionals are exposed to in their many press conferences.
In tennis, the top stars are obliged to appear at the press conference after every game. Unlike in football, where superstars like Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo can sneak away without a word if they don’t feel like talking, Osaka, Nadal and Co. have to appear at the media rounds – otherwise there is a fine.
Pretty much every top professional has accepted such a fine if he didn’t feel like a question and answer session after a bitter defeat. When Novak Djokovic was disqualified at the US Open last year for unintentionally shooting a line judge with a ball, he rushed off immediately. He accepted the $ 7,500 fine without batting an eyelid.
Puzzling motivations
But Osaka’s boycott has a new dimension because it is a conscious decision, not an emotion. And almost everyone in the industry is still wondering what the Japanese woman’s motives really are. There was actually no special incident recently, which is why the solidarity of the colleagues is also limited. Almost all of them emphasize how much they value and respect Osaka as a person, but they cannot really understand the procedure.
“It’s not something you always enjoy, especially after defeat,” said Djokovic. “But it’s part of our sport and our life on the tour,” said the world number one. Angelique Kerber also turned out after her bitter end. “For me it is part of it. Even if it is not always easy. For me it is not easy either,” said Kerber after her clear first-round bankruptcy.
The makers of the four Grand Slam tournaments now increased the pressure on Osaka. There was a $ 15,000 fine for skipping the pk. In the event that the four-time Grand Slam tournament winner continues to boycott the media in the further course of the clay court event, there is a risk of further, much tougher sanctions. Exclusion from the French Open and a suspension from the following Grand Slams were also expressly not ruled out. What does Osaka think about it? Nobody really knows. Finally she is silent.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210531-99-806194 / 2
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