It was clear from the outset that Naomi Osaka planned to stay in the bubble environment at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center for the entire fortnight. As she prepped for the 2020 United States (US) Open, she strove to embrace its uniqueness; she pledged to wear a mask, bearing the name of a victim of police brutality to every match. Certainly, it showed her willingness to flex her muscles off the court, first made evident when she sat out the semifinal of the Western & Southern Open the week before to protest the shooting of Jacob Blake. More importantly, it underscored her self-assurance in likewise making a difference with a racket in hand; the fact that she brought seven masks with her meant she believed she would be able to stick around all the way to the final.
Not that Osaka’s spot in the last contest of the women’s draw was secure. Far from it, in fact; she needed three sets to dispatch opponents in three of her six matches en route. Among those was a tough Round of Four encounter with 28th seed Jennifer Brady, during which she had to go through a tiebreak to claim the first set. On the other hand, there can be no questioning her sense of purpose and resiliency. She can be hard on herself, with her confidence occasionally wavering under pressure. Not in the US Open, though; when the going got tough, she displayed her toughness and got going.
Granted, Osaka received no small measure of good fortune with her assignments. Anett Kontaveit at Number 14 was the highest seed she faced at Flushing Meadows, in contrast to the four Top 20 rivals — living legend Serena Williams included — fellow finalist Victoria Azarenka had to upend before their encounter. That said, she could only go so far as take the measure of those before her. And she did, with aplomb; she may have been far from flawless, but she managed to raise her game under pressure and show her best when it mattered.
There will be more trials for Osaka, even as she has shown an increased capacity to handle the demands of success on her time. Up next in her agenda: the French Open, where she figures to encounter difficulty, and not just because clay is her least-favorite surface. If there’s anything going for her, it’s that she has stopped becoming her own worst enemy. As she proved against Azarenka yesterday, she has learned not to beat herself. All she can do at any given time is try her best, and if she does, she’ll gladly live with the results.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
