"I hope Naomi Osaka puts herself out there as much as possible, that's the best way to shut the noise out" - Martina Navratilova
Martina Navratilova believes Naomi Osaka should play as much tennis as possible in 2022, as she feels that the Japanese can silence her detractors with her racket skills.
Naomi Osaka received a substantial amount of flak last year for skipping a host of major events. The Japanese began 2021 in stellar fashion by winning the Australian Open to clinch her fourth Major.
However, her season nosedived beginning at Roland Garros, where she withdrew midway, citing mental health issues. Osaka revealed she had been suffering from depression since 2018, which prompted her to abstain from mandatory media obligations.
Osaka was fined for her behavior and threatened with dire consequences, following which she pulled out of the Parisian tournament. Osaka also skipped Wimbledon but returned to action at the Tokyo Olympics, where she lost in the third round.
Osaka entered the US Open as the defending champion and was amongst the favorites to take home the title. But there too, she failed to deliver, losing to eventual runner-up Leylah Fernandez in the third round, despite serving for the match.
After losing a point in the match against Fernandez, the 24-year-old flung her racket and sent the ball into the stands in frustration. She was issued a code violation for the uncharacteristic response.
Overall, Osaka barely played any tournaments after the French Open and was dismal in the ones she featured in.
Speaking on Tennis Channel, Martina Navratilova asserted that she would like the Japanese to play more tennis in 2022. The American believes that doing so would help Osaka shut out all criticism aimed her way.
"2022 Naomi Osaka: I hope she plays, I hope she plays, puts herself out there as much as possible cuz that's the best way to shut everything out, to shut the noise that's on the outside, out," Martina Navratilova said. "So, fingers crossed that she finds the love of the sport enough, to overcome everything else."
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When Naomi Osaka said that winning no longer makes her feel happy
Following her third-round defeat to Leylah Fernandez at the US Open, Naomi Osaka revealed that her mental health condition had worsened - she no longer felt any positive emotion after winning.
"How do I go around saying this? I feel like for me recently, like, when I win I don't feel happy. I feel more like a relief. And then when I lose, I feel very sad," Naomi Osaka explained. "I don't think that's normal. I didn't really want to cry, but basically I feel like..."
Osaka broke down during the press conference and stated that she would take an indefinite break from tennis.
"This is very hard to articulate," she added. "Basically I feel like I'm kind of at this point where I'm trying to figure out what I want to do, and I honestly don't know when I'm going to play my next tennis match (tearing up). Sorry. I think I'm going to take a break from playing for a while."