Osaka biographer warns about her stepping away from tennis
WTA
Naomi Osaka's biographer, Ben Rothenberg, said Naomi Osaka might be stepping away from tennis for a while after her Australian Open withdrawal.
Tennis fans in Australia and worldwide were devastated when her withdrawal from the opening Grand Slam of the year was confirmed. Osaka or the event did not give an official reason for the move.
Speculation about Osaka pulling out had been present in the media for a few weeks before the decision. The 25-year-old has not competed on the WTA Tour since withdrawing from the second round of last year's Japan Open.
Pulling out of her home tournament completed a difficult 2022 for Osaka. She never came close to reaching the heights seen during her four Grand Slam title runs, suffering from inconsistency and a lack of confidence.
Some have questioned Osaka's commitment to tennis, especially because of the number of projects she partakes in off the court. Former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli thinks that packed schedule caused her challenging 2022.
Rothenberg is writing a biography about Osaka that will be coming out later this year. In an interview with the Australian media, he said the former WTA world No. 1 might not want to speak loudly if she is taking a break from tennis.
"I don't think she would use that word 'retiring', but if she was stepping away from the sport for a while - and it could be for any length of time - I don't know that she would want to speak that out loud."
"For her, the math is not adding up right now, for her to want to make the commitment. She knows how much work it is and how all-encompassing and preoccupying it is to be an active full-time player with the standards that she has. She’s won so much already, she’s not going to be content just to be a top-20 player again."— Rothenberg on Osaka's motivation<br>
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