What’s Next for Naomi Osaka – The Wall Street Journal

Consider where she was a year ago. Naomi Osaka appeared to be in complete control. It was a difficult national moment, and yet she’d chosen to confront it, to be part of both the conversation and the outrage—to make sure the public didn’t forget those names, one of which she wore on a face mask before every match. 

On top of that, she was playing some of the best tennis of her life. Fabulous tennis. Merciless tennis. One of the facts that’s gotten lost in this turbulent season of Naomi Osaka is what a magnificent tennis player she is—an outrageous assemblage of power and skill with a preternatural ability to tune out the noise and get it done.