Failure to Communicate.

The only thing I know about Naomi Osaka is that she's the poor young woman who was put in the terrible position of beating Serena Williams, fairly, on the tennis court a few years back when Serena was the overwhelming emotional crowd favorite to win.  She lost.

People booed the young Asian-American woman who beat the Black, African-American woman who had always been the champ to so many who never knew the Martina-Chrissy years, and who made Ms. Osaka pay a terrible psychological price for her on-court victory, it seems.

No athlete, no young one, should ever be put in that position.  You win, you win fairly, no guilt, no tears, no pity for the legacy favorites.  Every young schoolage athlete is taught, in the good programs, the top times and scores and skills win.  Freshman, senior competing for the last time?  Best time for the team wins.

I was placed in that position once.  In cross country, in high school, mid season I stepped into a rut on the school practice football fields where we ran when we stayed on campus, and neighborhood guys hit golf shots during the weekend.  I still don't know if it was a golfer who took out a chunk of grass, or a mole (doubtful), but mmy foot fell wrong, and hours later at home, my leg told me something was pulled when it when stiff. Long story short, by the time I recuperated enough to run, it was end of season, and the senior girl who had taken my spot was a very emotional type.  Heavyset, but a "team mother".  Instead of telling Michelle that my practice times were better, and her season had ended as the final meets limited team competitors, he devised a ... "runoff".  She and I.  Not the rest of the girls running... they stood on the practice field an  (acd "cheered us on", running alongside us both in the final stretch.  Michelle faded, after we had run together for some time.  It was only 2 miles then, now girls run the full 3, like the boys.  After a mile and half, with her panting and almost crying behind me -- it was her senior season at play, and she was popular on the team! -- we strided together into the final stretch where she gave it her all, and I ... did not.  Michelle won!  My leg just hadn't healed properly afterall. *sigh* But there would be other seasons ahead for me...  (actually, not. I turned 16 after that sophomore season, and kept on with my summer job at WaldenBooks during the schoolyear which meant my high school athlete days were over, nttwawwt.  Running wasn't that fun when you're not tops, and working for pay in  mall bookstore beat that, for sure.) Everyone was happy, right? I got to go on the bus to the next meet -- the team didn't advance past that -- and stand midpoint on the beautiful course keeping time; Michelle got to run her final race her senior year with her teammates, and the cowardly coach who really like to be popular with the rest of the girls.  Only one or two of them younger than me, competitors -- good runners, ever told me that I threw that official time trial, and even then, it was said with an understanding tone.  For what glory would I do that to myself, afterall? I only ran mid-pack, not chance at individual qualifying for me...  Girls don't play that way with the social ostracism, and I was a girl afterall. No escape from those circles.  I made the right choice for me back then.  But now I realize, the Serena's like the Michelle's of the past, are always out there. You can't let others cut the line because it's emotionally easier, or they cry while you do not, and just keep playing on... To win. No excuses.

What tennis did to Osaka the day she beat Serena Williams was so dumb.  I remember watching it then and cringing for her.  A hug from Serena did not cover the fact that this young Asian-America athlete beat the favored Black champ and nobody seemed to want, or accept, that.  What a horrible place for a sport to put a young athlete, especially a "gentleman's" sport, like that.

Then, tennis again put Osaka -- a few years older -- in the same spot when she again beat a Black crowd favorite:  Coco, a young player who had knocked off a Williams on her way to the championship round where Osaka beat her, again fair and square.  Coco was tearful as Osaka insisted she address the adoring crowd -- smart move -- before she took the mike herself.  Hugs were exchanged, Osaka credibly expressed sympathy for Coco and even called out for praire her opponent's parents in the stands (they had met previously; Osaka said she had seen them; at training facilities, coming up, and congratulated them on where both were now at...)

Tennis made money off of pitting these players racially against each other.  Osaka seems to want no part of it, as the highest paid female athlete in the world right now.

You'd think, for the sake of the best competition, tennis the corporate sport would find a way to eliminate these psychological issues for the athletes that make them bear the modern-day sporting issues of race and gender on their backs. There should be an opt=out where the worker can just focus on the job, and not be bothered with the social sideshow if they choose just to focus on being the best.