Anonymous wrote:I was always uncomfortable with the pressure on Osaka to be the next great tennis champion and the comparison to Serena. Not everybody can handle that kind of pressure. Hope she gets the help she needs and her next chapter, whether it includes tennis or not, would be less stressful for her.
+1. I also wonder if her competing for Japan, rather than the U.S., added to this pressure. Sure she's made more in endorsements than she ever would have, but there's a responsibility and pressure that comes with being your country's top athlete. Not to mention that she's never actually lived in Japan for any length of time or speak the language very well. Whereas had she elected to compete for the U.S. she would have been in a sea other rising American players behind Serena (Kenin, Stephens, Keys, etc.). Granted, Kenin seems to be struggling since her Australian Open title too but she's also had a lot of physical injuries as well.