Naomi Osaka In Bazaar Australia as Pro Tennis 2025 Goes Live in Melbourne AOC Fashion

It’s January 2025 and the world of professional tennis is in Australia. Naomi Osaka covers the January 2025 issue of Harper’s Bazaar Australia/New Zealand [IG] styled by Sue Choi in the Louis Vuitton story lensed by John Russo [IG]./ Hair by Marty Harper; makeup by Autumn Moultrie

“Freedom is no longer caring what others think.” That’s the Bazaar Australia Instagram lead of Osaka’s mindset as she heads into the Australian Open.

After Withdrawing in Auckland Classic, Some Osaka Reflections

The tennis pro reached the semi-final match of a warmup tournament in Auckland, New Zealand. Tennis watchers reported Osaka playing some of her best tennis in years, before meeting Denmark’s Clara Tauson last Sunday.

After winning the first set 6-4, Osaka, who plays for Japan, called a timeout and ceded the match to Tauson, after complaining of a then unidentified injury.

At age 27, Naomi is exactly the age when most tennis pros reach their peak. This fact is good news for Osaka seeking a comeback, as long as she is in peak physical form AND can withstand the psychological reality that she hasn’t won one tournament in recent years.

For tennis media to note those facts about Naomi Osaka is not racism. It’s factual. It’s true that having a baby can have dramatic impact on a woman’s ability to win Grand Slam tennis. Osaka made the decision to have a baby when she was also having mental health issues — by her own admission. These are her decisions and we don’t owe her silence when she is presenting herself as a mental health spokesperson. This is getting crazy.

"I want to take every match seriously, and if someone does beat me, I want it to be the fight of their life," Osaka said. "I want to build that reputation within the community of tennis. I just hope that I can grow to fight for everything."

You are not ready for battle, if you are publicly weeping over pain or psychological fears of losing again.

AOC hopes Osaka has a great tournament in Melbourne.

But with all the challenges women are under in the new Trump administration — like removing women from military combat because we are a distraction to the men and unstable under pressure — Naomi Osaka is not a good representative for the majority of us.

Osaka makes the MAGA case for years now that women are too emotional and we aren’t good in a clutch situation.

We know that’s false garbage. Serena Williams knows it’s false garbage. But Naomi Osaka is another story entirely. Anne doesn’t owe Osaka silence when American women are losing our rights day by day. We are about to hear some pretty wretched beliefs about women not serving in military combat in the upcoming Senate hearings.

Perhaps Naomi Osaka’s brain and body are telling her to retire from tennis, and she should listen. With all of her challenges, Naomi still booked $15 million in endorsements in the last reporting cycle for 2023. Osaka’s got plenty of friends in high places.

As Jimmy Connors commented this week — and he is not alone:

"I mean, to get hurt right at the beginning and to pull out, that's hard for me to understand because I've got amnesia with a lot of things that happened in my time with me and stuff. But once I got into the game and once I wanted to start the year, I was ready. I was ready physically and mentally and eager to get into it," the American added.