Retired Japanese tennis pro Kimiko Date is of the opinion that compatriot Naomi Osaka takes her media duties too seriously, and this has played a role in her recent issues.
Osaka withdrew from Roland Garros earlier this year after refusing to participate in press conferences, and took a hiatus to focus on her mental well-being soon after. The four-time Grand Slam champion would return at the Tokyo Olympics and US Open, losing in the third round at both events. Subsequently, she announced she would be taking a break from tennis and has not played ever since.
In an interview with Number 1 Shimbun, Date, a former World No.4, empathized with Osaka.
"Osaka and I have one thing in common," said Date. "We rose up the rankings very suddenly and we weren’t really prepared for what it meant. Her personality is one that takes everything to heart in a serious way and I think this exacerbates the problems she’s had.
"You can deal with the media in many ways; you can say everything to them, or a little bit or nothing. I get the impression Osaka actually takes her media obligations too seriously. Maybe she thinks she has to answer all their questions and so feels pressure that way. I really understand her feeling."
Date won the Japan Open a record four times during her career, also reaching the semi-finals of the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon. She retired from professional tennis in 1996, but announced an unexpected comeback in 2008. Date triumphed at the Korean Open the next year, becoming the second-oldest player in the Open Era to win a WTA title.
After finally retiring in 2017, Date offered some words of advice to the younger Osaka.
"When I was rising in the rankings, it was mainly just the Japanese media and there was no internet then, but everything Osaka does is reported worldwide, so the pressure she feels is so much greater," Date stated.
"I think all the top players are affected by stress that affects their mental health, 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."
Growing up in a household where soccer was king, my earliest memories are filled with chants from packed stadiums and the rhythm of a ball being passed across neighborhood streets. But somewhere along the way, the quiet elegance and raw emotion of tennis pulled me in. What began as a curiosity became a lifelong passion; not just for the sport itself, but for the stories it tells: of grit, of heartbreak, of improbable comebacks and human resilience.
As a tennis writer, I bring the observational lens of someone who didn’t grow up in the sport, but fell in love with it as an outsider; a perspective that lets me see both its technical beauty and its emotional depth. Over the years working with TennisUpToDate, I’ve had the privilege of reaching more than 3.5 million readers worldwide, with one of my features ranking among the site’s top three articles.
With a background in storytelling and a creative mind always searching for meaning beyond the scoreboard, I aim to craft narratives that go deeper than results and rankings. Whether it’s a rising star breaking through or a veteran fighting off Father Time, I try to capture the heartbeat behind the headlines.
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