Naomi Osaka is again opening up about some of the personal struggles she endured as this time the Japanese shared that she is writing a book and decided to reveal a few excerpts that reflect on the self doubts she has battled throughout her childhood but also life.
Since publicly revealing her battle with anxiety and depression in 2021, the Japanese tennis star has become one of the biggest advocates for good mental health. And that includes often being very transparent about her feelings and state as that way she can show others that there no one should be afraid to open up.
In the latest edition of that, Osaka posted on Instagram excerpts from the book titled "Self Love." There, the 27-year-old candidly confessed that she "never really liked myself" but at the same didn't dislike herself. But she knew one thing as a kid - she wanted to be "someone else."
"Growing up I never really liked myself. While that statement is bold I also wouldn't say I disliked myself either. It was strange contradiction of thought, I was existing but I didn't have a strong emotion or opinion tied to my being whether positive or negative. That being said, for some reason when I was young I knew that I potentially would've preferred to be someone else. Perhaps a pop star, or someone really famous and rich at the time," the four-time Grand Slam champion wrote in the book.
Osaka makes a very wise statement about comparing yourself to someone else
Judging by the Japanese's words, it is clear that one of the reasons why she felt about herself a certain way was because of looking at others and comparing herself to them.
When it comes to Osaka the tennis player, she doubted herself and often wondered if others were better. When it comes to her outside tennis, the former world No. 1 was insecure about her looks because some don't consider athletes to be really attractive.
"Comparison is the thief of joy. When I was a teenager I used to compare myself to other people a lot. Whether it was from being a stereotypical teenage girl and thinking my body wasn't conventionally attractive because I'm an athlete, (a trait that still wafts and lingers as a young woman), or comparing myself to other tennis players and thinking I'm behind. I was never happy when I thought about how I sized up next to others, eventually I began using my sport as a criteria to value my worth because I had no true basis anymore," the Japanese wrote.
While Osaka is now doing a better job in dealing with all of that, she admits that there are still times when those doubts that lingered her in childhood reappear.
"In my mind everyone was on a race track and I had an immense fear of being lapped or falling behind. Strangely enough there are still moments today where I feel like I'm behind, that thought might never truly go away even though I know how absurd it is. Genuinely wouldn't even be able to tell you who I'm competing with at this point anymore," she admitted.
Osaka reveals one thing she realized with time
After experiencing anxiety and depression, as well as some major self doubts, the four-time Grand Slam champion realized that not everything in life can be perfect. Also, she realized that if something works for someone else, it doesn't mean it will be good for her as well.
"One huge realization I had is that everyone is just trying to cope with this thing called life. There's going to be ups and downs but in truth it is your journey and you have to decide for yourself how your life looks for you. It is after all, your life to live. I've been trying to wring my brain to have the perfect words to make it make sense, the perfect analogy and a specific order of it all but I recently realized that it doesn't have to be perfect," Osaka explained.
"Life doesn't have to be perfect or make sense and everyone is going to see it differently. We are all different people and what works for you isn't going to work for everyone so you should just unapologetically be yourself."
Meanwhile, Osaka was forced to end her 2024 season a bit prematurely due to back and abdominal injuries suffered in early October.
For 2025, the former world No. 1 has a clear goal - try to return to her old level and back to winning Grand Slams.
Before going down with an injury, Osaka hired coach Patrick Mouratoglou and reached the Beijing round-of-16 before those physical setbacks happened.
