Author: Lynn Elber
AP TV writer
Los Angeles (Associated Press)-Those who are looking for clear answers about Naomi Osaka and how she responds to the demands of career and fame should not expect to find them in the new Netflix documentary series about the four-time Grand Slam champion.
When director and producer Garrett Bradley talked about the series recorded in the two years since the 2019 U.S. Open, the unresolved issue of tennis stars is the core of “Osaka Naomi”. Production will end before Osaka withdraws from the French Open in early 2021.
This three-part series premiered on July 16, examining a young athlete in a contemplative and intimate way to find a way out. The films of victory and defeat in major competitions are intertwined with Osaka’s time with family and her boyfriend, rapper Cordae; her training and business needs; Osaka’s interest in her career, multi-ethnic identity and mentor Kobe Bryant Reflections on her death and her protest against the police’s decision to kill black men and women.
Bradley, the nominee of the 2021 Oscar documentary “Time”, said: “It’s really important for me not to enter this project with an agenda or even an opinion. “I really do. Trying to open up to her world and where she is, and trying to understand her essence. “
She said that as the filming progressed, it became clear that the foundation of the series was not only a problem faced by Osaka, but also a problem faced by the entire society.
These questions “are related to value systems and self-definition, and how people develop a more comprehensive understanding of themselves in any particular environment they are in,” said Bradley, whose other producers include LeBron James, in SpringHill production company under his umbrella.
The 23-year-old Osaka did not accept an interview. She withdrew from the French Open in May last year. Before being interviewed by the media, she withdrew from the French Open on the grounds of “a huge wave of anxiety” and revealed that she had suffered from depression for a long time.
She also skipped the just-concluded Wimbledon Tennis Championships. Her agent said she wanted private time but was expected to represent her native Japan in the upcoming Tokyo Olympics.
Osaka was only a few years old when she and her sister and their Japanese mother and Haitian father moved to the United States.
In an article published in Time magazine on July 8, Osaka wrote: “Believe it or not, I’m naturally introverted and won’t cause the spotlight. I always try to urge myself to speak out for what I think is right, but This often comes at the cost of great anxiety.”
“I do hope that people can contact and understand that it is not normal, and it is okay to talk about it. Someone can help, and there is usually light at the end of any tunnel,” she said, thanking Michelle Obama and Michael Phelps And support provided by other public figures.
The Netflix documentary series includes footage of Osaka and her sister Marie on the court when they were young. The tennis star recalled spending at least eight hours a day practicing and added, “I’m just tired.”
Osaka Mari, 25, has also played professional tennis, but said in a social media post in March that she would quit the sport because it was “a journey I didn’t like in the end.”
This series of documentaries depicts a portrait of Osaka Naomi, who is thoughtful and eager to succeed, but struggles to cope with her sports needs and future. In a moment of self-reflection, she said: “So, if I am not a good tennis player, what am I?”
Film producer Bradley warned that the series should not be seen as decisive, but as a snapshot of a short period of life that continues to “evolve and grow.”
Bradley said: “The moment we captured is that she is in the process of learning curve, I think she directly expresses very beautifully, (that is) there are some elements of fame that are difficult to prepare.” “The sustenance she found is acceptance. Her current position, of course, her family and her loved ones, but also to find her own voice. This includes choosing when to use it and when not to use it.”
When asked what she thinks of Osaka’s emotional health, Bradley said that she thinks she is “a very strong and very smart person.”
“She can control her narrative, and I think it’s a beautiful thing,” she said.
