FOUL PLAY AFTER LOSS
FOUL PLAY AFTER LOSS Tennis star hit with racist bile
As Naomi Osaka exited the U.S. Open in tears late Friday night, her next event is a mystery.
The next big tournament, in Indian Wells, Calif. (which was rescheduled to October), probably won’t feature Osaka, who vowed to take a leave of absence as she deals with her issues.
The WTA has not heard officially if Osaka will pull out of Indian Wells or the year-ending WTA Finals, which may or may not be held in China.
Tennis legend Billie Jean King tweeted, after Osaka left the Flushing Meadows grounds named after King: “Take all the time you need to recover, rest, and heal, @naomiosaka. Sending you love and support.”
No one is expecting Osaka to play before, at least, the Australian Open in January after her Open breakdown Friday.
Osaka, 23, collapsed in a threesetter to 18-year-old lefty Leylah Fernandez. Osaka threw racquets during the match and cried during the press conference, saying, “Yeah. I think I’m going to take a break from playing for a while.’’
It was troubling to watch a great champion disintegrate on the court — sadder to watch it in the interview room. The moderator tried to end it, but Osaka insisted that she carry on.
“I guess we’re all dealing with some stuff, but I know that I’m dealing with some stuff,’’ said Osaka after she threw her racquet twice in the second-set tiebreak and also struck a ball into the crowd.
Osaka, the defending Open champion, was attempting to win her third title here in four years.
“I feel very anxious when things don’t go my way,’’ Osaka said. “I’m not really sure why it happens the way it happens now. I was kind of like a little kid.’’
ESPN’s leading tennis commentator, Pam Shriver, said she thinks this potential hiatus is best for Osaka, who withdrew earlier this year from the French Open, citing mental health issues after announcing she wouldn’t do press conferences because of the stress. She also pulled out of Wimbledon.
Shriver said current No. 1 Ashleigh Barty also took a leave for 2020 and came back sharper than she ever had been.
“It seems she as if [Osaka] needs and wants to take a break,’’ Shriver told The Post. “It been very helpful to take a sabbatical to rest during your career. Barty is the best example how it can help. She took a break until she felt ready. Of course, you say things after an emotional unexpected loss that can change in a week or two, but given her last few months, it appears she is wanting and needing one.’’
The Open is now without Serena Williams (injury), Coco Gauff (ousted in Round 2) and Osaka. “I don’t have inside information on the WTA’s concerns, but you want the biggest stars healthy in all aspects so they can compete at their best,’’ Shriver said. “Osaka and Coco, once Serena didn’t play, are the two players who move the needle.’’
Sloane Stephens is exhausted — not from the grind of her third-round defeat at the US Open Saturday, but from the abuse and hateful words she received online after her loss.
“This isn’t talked about enough, but it really freaking sucks,” Stephens wrote Saturday on her Instagram account.
Stephens, the No. 66ranked women’s tennis player in the world, shared vile messages she received — saying there were more than 2,000 of that ilk following the 28year-old’s three-set loss to Germany’s Angelique Kerber on Friday.
There were messages wishing for her to be raped. There were racist terms. There were threats.
“I promise to find you and destroy your leg so hard that you can’t walk anymore,” read one.
“This type of hate is so exhausting and never ending,” said Stephens, an African-American from Florida who won the 2017 US Open, topping Madison Keys.
She was ranked as high as No. 3 in the world early in 2019 but played inconsistently the following year and dropped to No. 39.
Athletes’ previously undiscussed tribulations have taken on a greater platform recently. Simone Biles withdrew from Olympic competition to work on her mental health. Naomi Osaka, who earlier this year declined to speak to reporters, also citing her mental health, said Friday night she “wants to take a break [from tennis] for a while” after tossing her racquet multiple times during her loss to Leylah Fernandez.
Stephens — who is engaged to soccer star Jozy Altidore of the Toronto FC — took a Zen tone earlier in this year’s Open, held in Flushing, Queens.
“I made sure that I was happy,” she said at a press conference after her first match win. “I took care of myself, my body, my mind, just really tried to gather myself again and not really worry too much about results and what was happening around me.”
After her loss, she tried to weed through the negativity to find a bright side.
“I’m choosing positive vibes over negative ones,” Stephens wrote. “I choose to show you guys happiness on here but it’s not always smiles and roses.”