I once held a part-time position in a high-street clothing store. It was late November, and amidst the chaos of the Christmas rush, I quickly realized that nobody knew what I was supposed to be doing or whether I was doing it.
One morning, I overslept and awaited the supervisor’s shrill phone call with nausea. It never arrived. The day went by.
Additional days passed. The days became weeks. The pay stubs continued to land on the mat. If there was a faint paroxysm of guilt or shame at working for this multinational corporation for £5.15 per hour while watching movies and eating toast in my pajamas, then it passed.
Beginning in February, the cheques ceased to be issued. No words were ever exchanged between us. I haven’t visited the shop in nearly two decades.
With this in mind, I embraced the news that Naomi Osaka was nowhere to be found just days before the Australian Open with a slight nod of recognition. Not in the sinister sense of Peng Shuai, although much of the accompanying coverage had a similar tone of alarm.
One headline read, “Australian Open officials scramble to find a two-time champion.” After it was established that Naomi Osaka would not be competing in the competition she won in 2019 and 2021, this publication said, “Naomi Osaka’s worries mount.”
Osaka’s unapologetic hiatus
Of course, Osaka had not vanished. The previous week, she uploaded Instagram images of her recent trip to Paris with her lover, the rapper Cordae. They viewed the Mona Lisa at the Louvre. (“New RENAISSANCE OIL PAINTINGS lead in the feverish search for a tennis star.”)
She was tagged in a photo taken at a Pilates facility in Los Angeles on Wednesday. (“Concerns arise over the TWO-TIME CHAMPION’s TERRIFYING core strength.”)
Since September, Osaka has not played competitive tennis. Of course, there is at least as much that we do not know as what we do know. We are unaware of her physical or emotional condition.
Quiet retirement
We are unaware of how much time she has spent practicing on the court. We do not know what she desires, nor do we know if she desires anything. As always, compassion and empathy are the most useful tools.
But the game recognizes the game. I believe I have a sense of what may be occurring here. And if you’re one of those scumbag media chatterboxes who enjoys tearing down a 25-year-old woman with a history of mental health issues, who attacked her when she decided to skip a few press conferences a few years ago, and who sees the world in stark black, white, and purple, you’re not going to like it. For Osaka’s absence had all the characteristics of a “quiet retirement.”
Last summer, the term “quiet resigning” began to acquire popularity, yet the concept has existed for years. It is more of a mental detachment from one’s work, a reluctance to let it define you than a schism or resignation.
You do not enter your boss’s office in a disorderly manner. You simply sit quietly, complete any contractual duties, and spend the remainder of your time appreciating your newly acquired mental space.
Because, regardless of her decision to compete in Melbourne, Osaka will be compensated. In the post-Serena era, she is likely the most popular and lucrative female tennis player. She has a new children’s book out, a galaxy of endorsements, a large following and platform, and a galaxy of endorsements.
Osaka’s ambivalence – her inability to define her status
According to Forbes, she made £42 million last year, of which just £900,000 was earned on the court. At this point, it is prudent to inquire whether any of this requires an actual tennis career.
Osaka’s ambivalence – her inability to define her status, apologize, or explain herself – is, in a sense, the logical culmination of a larger tendency. Serena Williams was pleased to choose her adventures throughout the final phases of her career, which is neither complete nor incomplete.
Eugenie Bouchard, a former Wimbledon finalist, has been on the fringes of the sport for three or four years. Elina Svitolina and Angelique Kerber each took paternity leave.
And for every Ash Barty and Jo Konta who retired in their prime, there are several other players whose commitment to the game feels conditional: there, still competing, but lacking the bloodthirsty, masochistic element that could drive them to the top or push them over the brink.
women’s tennis is sound
What binds them together is rejection: a rejection of the tour’s 12-month grind and churn, its carousel of interchangeable room-service meals and late-night doom scrolling, the restless fidgety feeling that afflicts the never-rooted, and the type of horrific online abuse that young female players attract more than anyone else. A denial that they owe us anything other than their well-being.
The final point to make is that the state of women’s tennis is sound. Always, there will be new stuff to make and new stars willing to create it. Currently, Ons Jabeur, Coco Gauff, and Iga Swiatek are present, and there will undoubtedly be others in the future.
In the meantime, all we can do is wish Osaka well and possibly admire her modest, silent gesture of defiance. You cannot destroy the system, so use it to your advantage. The days go by. The doormat continues to receive cheques. And the toast you just made in your pajamas at 1 p.m. tastes strangely like freedom.
