“I Have a Lot of Sympathy For Athletes” – Naomi Osaka

Published 05/03/2020, 1:22 PM EDT

The year 2020 was a massive one for all athletes worldwide. The prestigious quadrennial event, The Olympics Games, was scheduled for July this year. But the coronavirus pandemic has lead to the postponement of the Games. World Number ten Naomi Osaka was disappointed upon the cancelation of the event.

Osaka was looking forward to playing the esteemed event in front of her home crowd. Earlier, she had given up her American citizenship to represent Japan in the Tokyo Games.

“Like most athletes that had been training, I was disappointed at first. But, when you realize the postponement is for the better of the entire world, you know the game can wait. We will come together in 2021 and be ready,” she said.

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Also, she was looking forward to winning a medal in the prestigious tournament. However, thanks to the pandemic, her dream has been delayed by a year now.

Two-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka sympathizes with other athletes all over the world, who have invested their lives in preparing for the Olympics Games, and now, they’ll have to persevere an extra year to keep up with their training.

“I actually have a lot of sympathy for athletes, like track athletes, who work for four years and plan to peak at that exact time…now their schedule is probably in turmoil,” she added.

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Naomi Osaka supports the postponement of Olympics

However, right now, the Japanese-Haitian tennis icon has accepted the postponement of the prestigious games and she understands the seriousness of the present situation. And she feels it is the right decision. “I’m really hopeful that the Olympics will now be a massive celebration for the world at the other end of this pandemic,” she added.

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A Special Message From Naomi Osaka To Healthcare Workers

In the year 2020, Osaka entered the Australian Open 2020 as the defending champion. Eventually, she was denied the defense of her crown as Coco Gauff defeated her in the third round of the Major. As a result, she also dropped out of the Top 5 in the World. Given her failing fortunes in the recent past, the suspension could help her to regain some of her lost magic.

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Mahalakshmi Murali joined EssentiallySports in 2018 as a tennis author and has gone on to pen more than 1800 engaging articles, probing into various aspects of the sport and its illustrious players. With her expertise on the sport, Mahalakshmi has interviewed stalwarts from the sport such as Serena WIlliams’ coach Patrick Mouratoglou and Kevin Anderson’s physio, Carlos Costa. Equipped with her vast experience and a keen understanding of the sport, Mahalakshmi now co-heads the tennis department.

“I Have a Lot of Sympathy For Athletes” – Naomi Osaka

Naomi Osaka supports the postponement of Olympics

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