Naomi Osaka The Documentary
The three-episode Netflix documentary about Naomi Osaka gives viewers an inside look at her life while showing the pressures of being a young and famous athlete. While I am not into sports and honestly know nothing about tennis, I still enjoyed this documentary overall. It was an entertaining watch because it was fascinating to watch a seemingly shy young sports star deal with the stress of being a celebrity in the tennis world and use her platform to make a difference.
The first episode explained Osaka’s backstory, as she has been playing tennis since she was only three years old. I was instantly surprised by how quiet she came across, as I was expecting someone who is so famous to be more loud and confident. While she did not necessarily appear to be insecure, throughout the whole miniseries, she consistently mentioned her feelings of stress and being overwhelmed. One scene that particularly stood out to me was when Osaka comforted her opponent, Coco, after beating her in tennis while Coco cried. Osaka also encouraged Coco to do the interview with her after the match. I thought this showed a very classy and mature side of Osaka because rather than being a sore winner and thinking of only herself, she was kind to her opponent when she did not have to be so caring. This scene showed spectators that although Osaka is not the most talkative athlete, she is kind.
I enjoyed seeing Osaka’s experiences in fashion in episode two, and I wish there were more scenes about her adventures in the fashion world, as she expressed that she has always appreciated clothing. Episode three was my favorite because I loved watching Osaka use her platform to make a difference. Osaka is half Japanese and half black, and while she plays for Japan, she is very devoted to helping the black community. I admire how she is using her platform to raise awareness of issues such as police brutality. She made a difference by withdrawing from a tournament to make an impact after George Floyd was murdered. She also supported the Black Lives Matter movement by wearing masks with the names of different black people who were murdered, such as Breonna Taylor.
Overall, I thought this was an interesting documentary because I liked getting to know Naomi Osaka. It was also intriguing to see her interact with her parents and her sister, as her parents are proud of her and she is close with her sister. When Osaka shared how she feels like she missed out on the high school experience and feels lonely and stressed at times, the documentary showed viewers that being a famous athlete is not as glamorous and fun as it seems. However, the documentary does not present itself in a way that asks viewers to pity Osaka. Instead, it just gives viewers a raw look at her real life while showing how making a difference can be worth the risk, even for the shyest athletes.
By: Zoe Nolz