FILE – Japan’s Naomi Osaka holds the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup after defeating United States Jennifer Brady in the women’s singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, in this Saturday, Feb. 20, 2021, file photo. Naomi Osaka was going to be at the center of attention during the Tokyo Olympics no matter what. She is a tennis superstar who owns four Grand Slam titles and is the highest-earning female athlete in the world.
FILE – In this Jan. 22, 2020, file photo, Japan’s Naomi Osaka walks into Margaret Court Arena for her second round singles match against China’s Zheng Saisai at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia. Naomi Osaka is a tennis superstar, the highest-earning female athlete in the world and represents Japan, making her a strong medal contender for the host country. Then, of course, came the series of events that began unfolding less than two months before the July start of the Summer Games.
FILE – Japan’s Naomi Osaka serves to United States’ Jennifer Brady during the women’s singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, in this Saturday, Feb. 20, 2021, file photo. Osaka withdrew from the French Open after being fined and publicly reprimanded. She sat out Wimbledon, too. So the Tokyo Games mark her return to competition — and it’s an occasion that matters to Osaka, who was born in Japan to a Japanese mother and Haitian father.
FILE – Serena Williams, left, and Venus Williams of the United States laugh together on the podium after receiving their gold medals in women’s doubles at the 2012 Summer Olympics at the All England Lawn Tennis Club in Wimbledon, London, in this Sunday, Aug. 5, 2012, file photo. Serena and Venus Williams, who have a combined nine golds, won’t be participating at the Tokyo Games.
FILE – Rafael Nadal of Spain reacts to winning a point against Fernando Gonzalez of Chile during their Gold medal singles tennis match at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, in this Sunday, Aug. 17, 2008, file photo. Nadal will not be participating in the Tokyo Games.
FILE – Andy Murray, of England, smiles as he holds up his gold medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in this Sunday, Aug. 14, 2016, file photo. Murray’s been through two hip operations and assorted other injuries since he became the first tennis player with multiple Olympic singles golds by winning in 2012 and 2016. His ranking outside the Top 100, but past success — including three Grand Slam trophies — earned him a special spot in the Tokyo field for Britain. “I just hope,” he said, “the body holds up.”
As it was, Naomi Osaka would have been one of the most-watched, most-discussed, most-supported athletes at the Tokyo Olympics.
She’s the highest-earning female athlete in the world, a tennis superstar and represents Japan, making her a strong medal contender for the host country.
Then, of course, came the series of events that began unfolding about two months before the July start of the Summer Games.
Just ahead of the French Open in late May, Osaka — who is ranked No. 2 and owns four Grand Slam titles on hard courts, the surface being used in Tokyo — announced she wouldn’t speak to the press at Roland Garros, saying those interactions create doubts for her.
Then, after her first-round victory, she skipped the mandatory news conference.
Osaka was fined $15,000 and — surprisingly — publicly reprimanded by those in charge of Grand Slam tournaments, who said she could be suspended if she kept avoiding the media.
The next day, Osaka withdrew from the French Open entirely to take a mental health break, revealing she has dealt with depression.
She sat out Wimbledon, too. So the Tokyo Games mark her return to competition — and it’s an occasion that matters to Osaka, who was born in Japan to a Japanese mother and Haitian father. (When she was 3, the family moved to the U.S., where she still lives.)
