Every week in the tennis world, countless stories and news emerge that don’t always make headlines but are too intriguing to overlook. It can be on-court or off-court developments that go under the radar due to bigger storylines from the past week. Two interesting stories involving Naomi Osaka and Caroline Garcia are featured in this week’s edition.
Tennis News Weekly Roundup
Caroline Garcia Joins Harvard Business School
Caroline Garcia recently announced that she has ended her 2024 season due to mental and physical fatigue. Soon after, she posted on her Instagram account that she would spend her extended off-season at the Harvard Business School. This might be the same program that previous WTA players have attended like, Caroline Wozniacki, Andrea Petkovic etc.
The program is a semester-long initiative by Harvard in which professional athletes learn about business by working directly with current MBA students. Launched in the fall of 2017, the program runs at Harvard twice yearly, once each semester. The program aligns with WTA initiatives to help players prepare for life during and after the tour.
Naomi Osaka Responds to a Troll
Former world #1, Naomi Osaka recently posted an Instagram story where she responded to someone calling her a ‘fluke’.
Osaka spilling pic.twitter.com/Z3njZmOXPv
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) October 3, 2024
This may sound insecure and lack of confidence to some, but she has every right to say so. Her comeback hasn’t been great, but to call her a fluke is unfair, to say the least. Osaka is a great champion and might need more time than she expected to get back to her best. As she stated, winning four Majors is never luck or a fluke, and anyone who believes otherwise does not understand tennis. She reached that height due to her hard work and dedication.
The Japanese superstar is not where she wants to be currently but her talent and ability are undeniable. If she puts in the same amount of effort next year as she did this year she’ll find herself back to a great level and ranking.
Main photo credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports