Media scrutiny and hype could be the undoing of many a promising young sports star.
Should it ever appear, the headline “The bitter tears of Naomi Osaka” will provoke mixed feelings. One could admire the allusion to The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant, a 1972 all-female-cast German movie by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, even as one’s heart sinks.
Osaka, the world’s top-ranked women’s tennis player and winner of the past two grand-slam singles titles, has cried in public three times in just a few months.
The first shedding of tears was unremarkable: she’d just beaten Serena Williams, the greatest female player of all time, in the US Open final amid a controversy not of her making (Sport, September 29) that prompted sections of the New York crowd to boo throughout the presentation ceremony.
After being knocked out in her first match at the Dubai Tennis Championships in February, the 21-year-old Osaka wept at a press conference as she tried to explain her split with coach Sascha Bajin without speaking ill of the departed.
Denne historien er fra March 23 -29 2019-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
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Denne historien er fra March 23 -29 2019-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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First-world problem
Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.
Applying intelligence to AI
I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.
Nazism rears its head
Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.
Staying ahead of the game
Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?
Grasping the nettle
Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.
Hangry? Eat breakfast
People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.
Chemical reaction
Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.
Me and my guitar
Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.
Time is on my side
Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?
The kids are not alright
Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.
