Naomi Osaka is taking time away from the tennis court, but the world's No. 2-ranked player still has an omnipresence in pop culture.
Tuesday (July 6), Netflix shared the official trailer for its three-part docuseries dropping July 16:
Throughout the two-plus-minute clip, Osaka emotionally admits that "no one really knows all the sacrifices" she has had to make "just to be good."
"I think the amount of attention that I get is kind of ridiculous," she says. "No one prepares you for that. I don't know. I feel like I'm struggling."
The 23-year-old admits that she has tied her self-worth to her tennis accomplishments in the past and reflects upon her heritage as well as the reason she picked up a racket in the first place.
The project was helmed by Oscar-nominated director Garrett Bradley. LeBron James' and Mav Carter's UNINTERRUPTED and Film 45 are the the production companies behind it.
Osaka skyrocketed to fame when she controversially defeated Serena Williams in the 2018 U.S. Open, and she followed that up by winning the 2019 Australian Open. Her profile expanded to include activist when she wore masks donning the names of Black Americans who have been killed by police due to racial injustice during last fall's U.S. Open, which she won.
Osaka's most reverberating move perhaps came in late May when she announced her decision to forego press conferences at last month's French Open. Due to unfair backlash she received, she withdrew from the tournament altogether—a decision that prompted a larger discourse about athletes and mental health:
— NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) May 26, 2021
— NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) May 31, 2021
The four-time grand slam champion opted against playing this year's Wimbledon, too, but she will represent Japan at this month's Tokyo Olympics.
Most recently, Osaka covered Vogue Japan and dropped a new Nike collection. See below.
Hi guys. Popping out to post this @voguemagazine Japan cover, hope you’re all doing well and staying safe pic.twitter.com/BknA93iApN
— NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) June 21, 2021
Summer drop is out now ☺️ https://t.co/ExpNNKvD3N pic.twitter.com/uNkAmQl0BA
— NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) July 6, 2021
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!