For Osaka and other Black female professional athletes throughout history, being thrust into the spotlight of the court often comes with enough cons to turn one's very dream into a nightmare.
before her, the rising tennis phenom shoulders the burden of being an"other" in an industry curiously geared against Black woman with a platform.tells the tennis star's story in her own words. The three-part series documents her meteoric ascent to the top of her game, starting with her. That high profile match was bittersweet because it won Osaka her very first grand slam title, but it also foreshadowed a troubling trajectory for any Black female athlete in the game.
The higher she went in the ranks, the more the world paid attention, watching and commenting on her every move on the court — a nightmare for an introverted young woman just starting to hit her stride in her career. As she became the player to beat, the stress began to weigh on Osaka, affecting both her game and her feelings of self-worth. Making the losses even more painful were the endless questions and commentary from the media.
"For so long, I've tied winning to my worth as a person," Osaka mused sadly in the docuseries."Anyone who knows me, knows me as a good tennis player...so what am I if I'm
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