Naomi Osaka’s Netflix Series Highlights Athlete Mental Health and the Pressure to be Perfect
This three-episode documentary series follows tennis player Naomi Osaka on her journey as an athlete, sister, and person.
Naomi Osaka in ‘Naomi Osaka’ / Netflix
In the sports world, mental health in athletes is often a topic pushed aside. In sports culture today, the ideas of mental toughness, physical strength, and pushing through no matter what, are commonly drilled into the minds of young athletes. However, just like any people, athletes also face similar obstacles with their mental health. The endless practices, intense training regimens, and pressure to win it all takes a toll on the minds and spirits of athletes. As a tennis player myself, watching Naomi Osaka’s documentary series on her mental health journey was truly inspiring as it proved to me an amazing athlete also faces mental health issues; and that that’s totally normal.
In Netflix’s series about Naomi Osaka, the filmmakers provide a deep and intimate look into her upbringing, life and career as a professional tennis player. It unveils her unique perspective of having a multicultural background, and how she quickly became worldwide known tennis player. The films starts off by detailing her journey into becoming such a great player, and how the support from her family was a major reason to her success. Her dad has a major influence on her tennis trainer and career, as the film shows how she progressed from competing as a young player to eventually becoming a Grand Slam champion.
One of the major focuses of this documentary series are Osaka’s mental health tribulations she has faced throughout her career. The immense pressure and self-doubt she confronted over the years of her career are displayed through candid and emotional clips where her sport took a major emotional toll. She details her own experience by saying how hard it is mentally for her to compete at such a high level and how she felt the need to be perfect and winning constantly. The film covers major career wins and loses, and how her mental health would take a steep downturn after she would lose matches. I found it inspiring how candid Osaka was about the pressure she felt and her constant fear of letting those around her down. While it is understandable that she feel that way, her family and friends are the ones who motivate her to keep going despite the challenges she faces.
The series also captures the strong family bond she has which is the support system she relies on in such a competitive sport environment. Her parents made immense sacrifices to support her tennis career and they continue to constantly support her in each match. Osaka also shared relying on her family and friends in times of hardship and how important it is to reach out for help when you feel overwhelmed by challenges.
Despite Osaka’s obstacles with stress and anxiety, the film also dials in her efforts to help others in causes she is passionate about. The story not only focuses on her career on the tennis court, but also on her life outside of her sport, making her seem more personable and relatable. She decides to use her platform to raise awareness about social issues, and the film highlighter her withdrawal from the 2020 US Open to protest against racial injustice. The film shows how much her social justice efforts impacted her, and how she realized how important it was for her to continue her advocacy work in the future. She even travels to Haiti, where her dad is from, to see new tennis courts that were installed under her name. Her love of the sport carried her to giving back to her community and culture, which showed me just how much she cares about others. Osaka also explained how helping others and introducing young kids to her sports relieved her own stress and allowed her to step back from her own troubles to help others. I found this a very interesting insight because it I believe it can applied to anyone, and her strategy of using as a way to relieve herself from her stress is something I’ve experienced and can attest to.
Overall, Naomi Osaka’s documentary series offers a balanced view of her career, while also focusing on her success and setbacks. the audiences gets an insider look at her personal life, and mental health battles that stemmed from her competitive sporting career. While inspirational and educational, the series is also incredibly entertaining, as it takes audiences through the exhilarating highs and lows of winning Grand Slam titles and the challenges she Osaka faces in maintaining her success. I found her series to be incredibly inspiring and insightful, and loved how a player I look up to was willing to share her struggles both on and off the court.