I support Naomi Osaka.
After watching professional tennis for over 50 years, I’ve seen enough to know that sometimes criticism is pointed in the wrong direction and questions are not always fair or appropriate in following interviews.
The Tennis Association needs to change its “iron-fistedness” and care more about players’ needs; show more compassion. I’ve seen great players forced to leave the circuit, and I applaud their strength to do so.
While some players have had advantages like time, life experiences and strong people behind them — “all helping them to toughen up” — others have not.
I watched this wonderful young woman, Naomi Osaka, at the 2018 U.S. Open, as she was robbed of her beautiful moment when Serena Williams had her tirade and “hissy fit.”
I see no difference between players who need a break to take care of mental issues, and those who need to pull out of tournaments to heal a physical injury.
The players who are now saying “I have no problem” do so because they haven’t had a problem . . . “yet,” and want to look tough.
I say to Naomi, heal yourself, and carry on as you wish.
Harolyn Zaldumbide, Lewiston
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.