‘Naomi Osaka is searching for the enjoyment in her tennis rather than it occurring naturally,’ Top journalist believes tennis star must fight her demons

‘Naomi Osaka is searching for the enjoyment in her tennis rather than it occurring naturally,’ Top journalist believes tennis star must fight her demons

Naomi Osaka

Naomi Osaka has been one of the standout names on the WTA Tour over the past few years. In just a span of three seasons, the Japanese has reached the helm of tennis and claimed four major titles. Despite her success on court, Osaka deals with problems of her own, which kept her out of the last part of 2021 season.

A particular incident that occurred during her first round victory at Australian Open 2022 has caught the attention of top journalist, Martin Samuel. The Japanese unknowingly put a foot on the white lining on the court, which had Melbourne engraved on it. Osaka immediately regretted this move, and stepped back.

Naomi Osaka did shed light on why she keeps away from the white lines, however, Martin Samuel believes the tennis star could be suffering from Obsessive-compulsive behaviour, a condition which according to him, affects 1.2% population around the world.

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“Obsessive-compulsive behaviour — flicking a switch a certain number of times, avoiding cracks in the pavement — is a condition that affects around 1.2 per cent of people. A tennis player who cannot step on the white lines of a court has a problem and Osaka admitted she does not like doing that either,” wrote Martin in his blog in Daily Mail.

Martin Samuel believes Naomi Osaka does not find joy in playing tennis ‘naturally’

Naomi Osaka
Naomi Osaka

Martin Samuel stated that like Naomi Osaka’s aversion to white lines, several tennis players have their own superstitions. Maria Sharapova, five time major champion also stayed away from the white lines, whereas, Serena Williams also had her own set of beliefs.

“The mysterious workings of the human mind. Athletes are superstitious sorts. Serena Williams wears the same socks all tournament. Michael Jordan always had on his University of North Carolina shorts under his Chicago Bulls kit. Goran Ivanisevic and Maria Sharapova both had white-line fever when they played tennis,” Samuel wrote.

However, Martin Samuel believes that Naomi Osaka tries to find joy in playing tennis, rather than occurring naturally. Although, Osaka has stated that she has somewhat had her mental health issues under control, yet Martin believes that there seems to be a wider issue.

After dispatching Camila Osorio in the first round of Australian Open 2022, Naomi Osaka spoke about having fun on court. However, Martin Samuel believes the 12th seed is trying to force the issue of finding joy in her play.

“Clearly, there are wider issues. Osaka spoke a lot about having fun. She plainly enjoyed a compliment about her outfit, which she described as ‘hot pink’, and dispatched a feisty young opponent in Camila Osorio of Colombia with confidence. Yet sometimes it just seems hard, as if she is searching for the enjoyment in her tennis rather than it occurring naturally,” Samuel added.

Also Read: WATCH: Naomi Osaka HITS The Chair Umpire during her first round match at the 2022 Australian Open!