‘Put Your Feet Up or Go to the Beach’ – Naomi Osaka Shown a Reality Check on Her Tennis Future From 59-Time Grand Slam Champion

Naomi Osaka, the Japanese star recently reviewed a string message from the legendary tennis player, Martina Navratilova. Navratilova thinks the 25-year-old’s difficulties on the court are related to her interests outside of tennis. Fans are eagerly awaiting Osaka’s return after her absence from the 2022 Japan Open. She was forced to withdraw due to an abdominal injury. Navratilova had a strange yet beneficial suggestion for Osaka in the exclusive interview.

Osaka has seen considerable success since making her professional tennis debut a little less than ten years ago. She had risen as high as No. 1, winning four Grand Slams along the way. Osaka’s performance during the past two years, however, has been a bit of a letdown. She has struggled with her mental health and frequent injuries, which have led to her dropping to her current position of No. 42 in the world.

The American tennis veteran has a strong message for Naomi Osaka

According to the WTA Tennis interview, Martina Navratilova answered a few questions on the performance and play of the top female tennis players. The American veteran thinks outside factors may have had an impact on Naomi Osaka’s fall from grace. The Japanese player hasn’t had a victory since winning the Australian Open in January 2021. In 2022, Osaka took part in a total of 11 tournaments. Since going public with her struggles with depression and anxiety at the 2021 French Open, Osaka hasn’t played all that much. Navratilova shared in the interview that she thinks Osaka’s a very unique case, in all ways. She added,” Maybe she doesn’t have to play all those matches, but she certainly has to play more than she has played.”

The nine time Wimbledon champion feels that the forces outside tennis are affecting Osaka and hindering her play.  Navratilova feels that if Osaka’s priority is tennis, then she should step back a little bit. She added in the interview,”  You don’t have to do it all. It has to suck your energy away from tennis. I’m all for broadening your horizons — I was never a one-trick pony — but tennis came first.” Osaka had received both support and condemnation from the tennis community in the wake of the French Open withdrawal fiasco. However, Navratilova had denounced the reporters who were troubling Osaka. The American has often shared her support to motivate the Japanese tennis player.

READ MORE- ‘Time’s Running Out’ – Martina Navratilova Warns Naomi Osaka That It’s Time to Have a Serious ‘Gut Check’ About Her Tennis Career

Navratilova also explained, ” It doesn’t mean training harder, necessarily, but maybe sometimes doing nothing at all. Put your feet up or go to the beach.” Many of her followers still think she’s one of the best players on the WTA Tour.

Navratilova had once shared an optimistic message for Osaka

Ahead of the 2021 US Open, fans were skeptical about Osaka and her performance. In an interview, Navratilova shared that Osaka could definitely win the title and also sent some encouraging words for the Japanese star. The 18-time Grand Slam Champion stressed the fact that the Olympics were a great stress factor for Osaka.

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Osaka was defeated by Canadian Leylah Fernandez in the third round of the 2021 US Open in three sets.  In the second set, Osaka broke Fernandez to take a 6-5 lead after being up a set. When serving for the match, Osaka, however, was unable to win the game. During the tiebreaker, Osaka threw her racket to the ground. Fernandez had won the tiebreak to force a third set. A short while afterward, Osaka tossed a ball into the crowd on purpose, which was a ball abuse code violation. Eventually, Fernandez won the match, 5-7, 7-6(2), and 6-4. Let us know what you think about Osaka in your comments below.