"Girls just want to have fun." Cyndi Lauper
Osaka has a right to play for whatever reason she chooses. I'd like to add that with her early financial success, she has the luxury of only playing for fun. Her saying that is also a way to take away any expectations that others may have of her, and also those she places on herself. She has no reason any longer to even show up on the court if she isn't driven to win, or in her case just wants to enjoy itIn some sense, she's a victim of her early success and also of the working life that she's probably never known.
Danna Nashaat, I agree with what you've written on this, and I'd like to add that with her early financial success, she has the luxury of only playing for fun. Her saying that is also a way to take away any expectations that others may have of her, and also those she places on herself. She has no reason any longer to even show up on the court if she isn't driven to win, or in her case just wants to enjoy playing, she's a victim of her early success and also of the working life that she's probably never known.
If she was reminded of a prior job as a fast-food cashier, or barista she might take this more seriously. Also, say in this case had she taught tennis for a living at some point and learned that it's not all glamour and fun, and is often really hard work, especially after an 8 -12 hour day on the court, she might appreciate any better-paying alternative that is tennis related.
She probably has no experience with any of these things and just simply can't see that her moneyed situation is rare. Most of the other players out there have pressures that she doesn't have which involve making enough income to keep competing. Pro tennis is strange like that where those not that far down the ranking ladder are making a small portion of what the top twenty players can earn.
Whatever emotional constraints she has now when it comes to competition, she is in a position to just walk away from the game and still be financially secure for the rest of her life. Few other players have that option after only two years of competition.
At this stage of the Osaka saga, I hope that the newer faces on the women's tennis scene will allow her to fade into tennis history. Four slams are great, but she's not even in the all-time top ten of women's players and appears unlikely to break into that group unless she changes course.
