"There aren't very many signs brewing that she is dedicated to come back" - Leading tennis writer reckons Naomi Osaka will not return to the top of the game again
Pete Bodo, American sportswriter and one of the most prominent tennis voices of our time, does not think fans will ever get to see prime Naomi Osaka again. On the contrary, Bodo reckons all the signs indicate that she might only continue on as a part-timer on the WTA Tour.
Speaking on the latest episode of the Holding Court with Patrick McEnroe podcast, the American wanted to touch on the four-time Grand Slam champion's career, remarking that it was a very difficult topic to bring up these days. Admitting that no one wanted to see the Japanese out of the game, Bodo noted that he was interested in finding out what others thought of Osaka's career at this point in time.
"The thing I am interested in is, have we lost Naomi Osaka? It is something very difficult to talk about. Certainly nobody wants her out of tennis, but there aren't very many signs brewing that she is dedicated or wants to come back to the game again," Bodo said. "What I'm interested in is, how people feel about what they have been hearing about, about her recent history."
Initially, Patrick McEnroe was "dumbfounded" by the weird trajectory the 25-year-old's career has undertaken as well, pointing out how, despite winning four Majors, Naomi Osaka has managed to win only seven titles overall on the WTA Tour.
"Four Majors she has won, but she has won only seven tournaments in her career, which is, to me, for a player of her caliber, a headscratcher," McEnroe said. "I am dumbfounded. What is she ranked now, like outside the Top-50?"
McEnroe, however, hoped the former World No. 1 would make a comeback soon, especially given how much her presence adds to tennis, both professionally and commercially.
"I hope she returns to the game, there is no doubt that she moves the needle for tennis, when you look at it. Her following and what she has been able to do with her career, that tells you, what companies are willing to pay," McEnroe said. "She has got a platform, she earned it, winning those four Majors, especially in the way she did."
"I give her a lot of credit" - Patrick McEnroe on Naomi Osaka's public discussion of her mental health struggles
Patrick McEnroe also lavished praise on Naomi Osaka during the interview, hailing her for discussing her struggles with mental health publicly. McEnroe was glad that the Japanese bucked the trend by not shying away from discussing such sensitive topics, which he accused most tennis players, and athletes in general, of doing most of the time.
"Obviously, she had her own mental issues, which she came out and publicly discussed about, which I give her a lot of credit for," McEnroe said. "Tennis players often shy away from wanting to show their vulnerability or discuss those types of issues, so I give her a lot of credit."