“Forces outside of tennis affect her more than anything else” – Navratilova in Osaka

Naomi Osaka is one of the most talked about players WTA Tour, though didn’t play much, and that’s the reason.

The 25-year-old Japanese player is currently ranked 42nd, but that doesn’t really reflect his abilities. From 2018 to 2020, she finished in the top five of the WTA ranking every time and even went as low as zero. 1 place. Osaka is also a four-time Grand Slam champion, making her undoubtedly one of the most dangerous players on the WTA Tour. But he hasn’t played much lately, and that’s exactly what another former world no. 1 Martina Navratilova discussed.

“She’s a very unique case in every way. So maybe you have to deal with it uniquely,” Navratilova said in an interview with the WTA. “Maybe he doesn’t have to play all those games, but he definitely has to play more than he has.”

“With him, it seems like he’s affected by forces outside of tennis more than anything else. It’s bloated in. How he’s set up his life with all the outside interests and influences and time demands that are bigger than anybody else’s,” he emphasized. .

“If her priority is tennis, step back a little bit. You don’t have to do everything. It has to take your energy away from tennis,” Navratilova said. “I’m all for expanding your horizons – I’ve never been a one-trick pony – but tennis came first. It doesn’t necessarily mean training harder, but maybe doing nothing sometimes. Put your feet up or go to the beach.”