“You have to find out why you’re playing tennis” Mats Wilander hopes Naomi Osaka ‘find the right path in her soul searching’
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Mats Wilander and Naomi Osaka
Naomi Osaka continues to get back to her best form that was on display in the last couple of seasons. Having since announced bout her mental health issues at the 2021 French Open, the player has had a tough time managing her life on the Tour while maintaining high standards of play on the court.
Ever since the French Open, she is yet to win a title since then having reached the semi-finals only once, at the 2022 Melboune Summer Set 1 in Australia. Her unsuccessful title defence at the 2022 Australian Open has also seen her move out of the Top-50 with her current rank being as World No. 88.
As she looks to return to her best, former World No. 1 and 7-time Grand Slam champion Mats Wilander opined on what has gone wrong and what she needs to return.
“She’s in a good way to become more satisfied with playing tennis, but I think it’s one of these where you have to find out why you’re playing tennis because you cannot force yourself to be emotionally in the right place. Every time you step on a tennis court, you can’t force that. That has to be a natural feeling.
“It’s just like falling in love with another person with a hobby and passion. And for Naomi Osaka, I think early on, I’m guessing but she had early on fallen in love with hitting tennis balls. Then she fell in love with winning and then she fell out of love because of all the attention that you get and because of how painful it is to win matches,” said Wilander speaking on Eurosport.
“In tennis, you have to learn to be willing to solve problems”: Mats Wilander on Naomi Osaka’s troubles
Wilander also stressed on things that Naomi will take time to return to her best but he believes that she is on the right track but she would need to keep patience as the process will take time for her as she also has to battle not only inconsistent form but better mental health as well.
“I think for all these players, there is some soul searching going on. I understand completely. I hope Naomi Osaka finds the right path. In tennis, what you have to learn is to be willing to solve problems. You are willing to try different options, it doesn’t mean it will result in winning. And for Naomi Osaka, it doesn’t mean that it’s going to result in her becoming a better player.
“In fact, it doesn’t mean she is even looking for that. But I think it does mean that she’s on a path that is trying to be more happy while playing tennis. And of course, be as happy as possible outside the court,” added Wilander further.
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Sarthak Shitole
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