The former number four in the world, Kimiko Date, said he is well aware of the struggles of Naomi OsakaBut he added that his Japanese compatriot must find a way to deal with the pressures that come with success in major events.
Osaka, 24, said at the US Open last month that she would take a break from tennis to focus on her mental health after the third-round loss to the Canadian. Leylah Fernandez.
The former world number one has struggled to stay in shape since retiring from Roland Garros in May after a dispute with the organization about the required appearances in the media, which he did not want to attend, preferring to leave Paris despite having won in the first round.
“Osaka and I have one thing in common,” Date, who reached three Grand Slam singles semifinals in the mid-1990s, told Shimbun.
“We came up in the rankings very suddenly and we weren’t really prepared for what that meant. His personality is one of taking everything seriously and this exacerbates the problems he has had.”
Date said the nature of Osaka affected the way it handled the media. “I think he takes questions in a different way and is very serious in the way he deals with them,” he said.
“You can deal with the media in many ways; you can tell them everything, a little or nothing. I have the impression that Osaka really takes his obligations to the media too seriously.”
“Maybe she thinks she has to answer all his questions and that’s why she feels pressured that way.”
Date, who announced his retirement in 1996 before returning in 2008 and playing for nine more years, noted that all the best players were affected by stress.
“But they have to find a way to deal with these problems. You can’t refuse to attend press conferences just because you lose. You have to find a way to deal with the media.” Kimiko Date.
