"She's just an incredible mix of people; Does she know who she is?" - Patrick McEnroe on Naomi Osaka's culturally diverse background and how it affects her
Patrick McEnroe believes Naomi Osaka's diverse background, which makes her an interesting mix of different people and cultures, has probably played a role in Osaka still trying to figure out who she really is as a person. McEnroe provided a unique perspective on the Japanese tennis superstar's life and career, as she has been striving to find an ideal balance between her personal goals and protecting her mental health and her career goals as a tennis player.
Naomi Osaka has a culturally diverse background, with her parents' Haitian and Japanese roots, while she has adopted Japanese as well as American cultures for most of her life. In light of the same, McEnroe wonders whether Osaka has completely identified herself yet, as she is an "incredible mix of people."
The former American tennis star opened up about the same, speaking on a recent episode of his podcast, Holding Court with Patrick McEnroe.
"She's born in New Jersey, her dad's Haitian, her mom is Japanese, she moved to Florida as a kid...She's basically American, if you hear her talk, she's just an incredible mix of people," McEnroe said on Osaka.
"She's got this Japanese background and she decides to play for Japan, more power to her. You wonder, does she know who she is? She's just such an interesting mix of people between her background and her parents and where they come from," he stated, adding, "When you think about Naomi Osaka, she's got such an interesting background. You wonder if that's part of how she's trying to figure it out, figure herself out."
In the last two seasons, Naomi Osaka has missed a lot of tennis, putting great focus on prioritizing her mental health and personal growth. As a result, she has been far from her best self when she has played, due to the lack of regular match time and some fitness issues.
"No doubt she was born to play tennis" - Patrick McEnroe on Naomi Osaka
As Naomi Osaka continues to try and strike a balance between personal and professional considerations, Patrick McEnroe hopes that she can "figure it out" sooner rather than later and return to her best self as the sport will be richer with her presence. McEnroe lauded Osaka for her unique and interesting personality.
"There's no doubt she was born to play tennis. If you just hear the sound when she hits the ball, it's clear as it can be. I hope she can figure it out for herself because she's an interesting personality. Even before she became famous, she would give press conferences that were different. She would be different in a way that got people's attention," McEnroe expressed.
Osaka played just 23 singles tour-level matches throughout the 2022 season, ending the year with a 14-9 win-loss record. She last played at the Japan Open in mid-September and is down to No. 42 in the WTA rankings.