Naomi Osaka On Learning To Define Success On Her Own Terms
Tennis might be a lifelong passion for NAOMI OSAKA, but by shifting her gaze off the court – as well as her perspective on winning – she has managed to rethink her own definition of success. Here, she writes a personal essay on taking a step back to reflect, how her measures of achievement have changed throughout her career, and why she feels proudest when she can uplift and inspire
“I’ve played tennis for as long as I can remember. I first picked up a racket when I was two years old, and I think I spent almost every day on the court after that. My dad would train me and my sister all morning and then again in the afternoon. Once we got older and better, we would drive long distances to play at small tournaments.
“When I began, success was solely measured in wins and losses. That has always been the easiest and most tangible way to measure achievement in sports. For me, that was fine for a while, but as my career progressed and the stages I played on became larger, my wins and losses were amplified on a scale I could never have imagined. These weren’t local matches where, once the crowd left the court, they forgot about the outcome – these were major events [that were] talked about and critiqued for days, weeks and months afterwards.
“I knew that if I kept up that self-deflating dialogue, nothing I did in life – no win, no loss, none of it – would really matter. I had to learn to change my own definitions of success
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“One of the most difficult parts was, directly following a defeat, to have to go into the press room and talk to the media, answering questions about why I played poorly or what I could have done better, and to be asked, ‘How does it feel?’ to have just lost the match. None of those conversations are enjoyable, but especially not on the heels of a loss. It’s like pouring salt into a wound. The sheer weight of the outcome of a match made me realize I needed to take a step back and create a new metric for success, as hyper-fixating on wins and losses was damaging to my mental health as well as to my love of the game.
“Success is an odd thing to talk about, mainly because it means different things to different people, and throughout your life your own version of a win or loss will change. I have seen my definition of success evolve during my career. I grew up being really hard on myself; I am pretty certain I have always been my own worst critic. Playing an individual sport can make this tricky, as a loss feels like a personal failure that can only be blamed on yourself. I knew that if I kept up that self-deflating dialogue, nothing I did in life – no win, no loss, none of it – would really matter. I had to learn to change my own definitions of success.
“That turning point came during the US Open in 2020. It was a very challenging time, and although I won the tournament, it was the message that I was able to convey during it that made me feel proud. It was shortly after the killing of George Floyd and the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement, and I wanted to highlight the lives that had been lost. I decided to wear seven different face masks – one for each round of the tournament – bearing the names of Black people whose deaths had been cited in nationwide protests about racial injustice. I felt that it was really important to speak out and do something that was bigger than me, bigger than the match or the tournament. That moment led me to begin to view my success not just in terms of a win but on my actions and ability to use my voice and platform. It shifted my point of view in a better direction.
“We need to determine our own metric of success to avoid being defined by others. We should still celebrate those wins but, when they don’t come, we need to remind ourselves that the game doesn’t define the person
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“From that moment, I chose to focus on surrounding myself with people who genuinely care about me and have my best interests at heart. Starting Kinlò [a sunscreen brand for people with melanated skin] to fill a void in the market, and later forming Hana Kuma, my own production company, which shines a light on stories about women and minorities, were other steps that I view as measures of my success. Both projects spark joy in me daily. They are truly pinch-me moments – as a little girl, I never dreamed I could play tennis and also be a CEO. Both projects have helped me shift my thinking about success; they surround me with, and expose me to, people who uplift and inspire me, and I hope I can do the same for them and others.
“I’m grateful every day to have the opportunity to do what I love, whether that’s measured on wins and losses or not. I learned a lot through our recent Hana Kuma documentary spotlighting Patsy Mink, the first congresswoman of color and the godmother of Title IX. Without Mink, there may have never been Naomi Osaka as you know me today. And for the opportunity she paved for me and others, I’m incredibly thankful.
“As a professional athlete, the media and other external voices will often push a narrative that your worth and value is based on your stats. It’s easy for someone looking in to measure success in wins and losses. They only see the match or game, not the work and sacrifice that goes into it and not what else you do outside of it. I think that we need to determine our own metric of success to avoid being defined by others. We should still celebrate those wins but, when they don’t come, we need to remind ourselves that the game doesn’t define the person.”