Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Naomi Osaka’ On Netflix, An Intimate Portrait Of The Tennis Champ As She Navigates Sudden Fame

The three-part docuseries Naomi Osaka, directed by Garrett Bradley, takes a look at how the young tennis champ handled the sudden crush of fame that came in 2018 when she defeated Serena Williams in the U.S. Open final, when she had yet to turn 21. Osaka gives Bradley access to her practices and to her family; we also get to hear those whispered moments between rivals on the court that you wish you could hear.

NAOMI OSAKA: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: We see home video footage of Naomi Osaka at 3 years old, about to run onto a tennis court with her older sister Mari. “Sometimes I feel like I’m a vessel… because I’ve been playing tennis since I was 3,” the adult version of Naomi Osaka says in voice over.

The Gist: One of the things we learned about Osaka this year, when she pulled out of the French Open because she was being fined for refusing to participate in press conferences, is that she can handle the pressures of being at the top of her sport despite being a generally soft-spoken and introverted person. It’s all the other things that go with being at the top — the thousands of new fans vying for her attention, the pressure to let the tennis world know that 2018 wasn’t a fluke, the new commitments she needs to meet — that get her anxious.

We see Osaka with her parents, Leonard Francois and Tamaki Osaka, who met in New York, married, and had Naomi and Mari in Japan; the family moved to the States when Naomi was 3 so Francois could start to teach them tennis. When she moves into her huge new house, she talks about how her boyfriend “isn’t active at all.” Her boyfriend, who just happens to be rap artist Cordae, who talks about how he doesn’t want to be a jinx to her when he attends her matches.

At the time this is happening, Osaka is getting a massage and watching her mentor, Kobe Bryant, on TV. She cites Bryant with really helping her deal with the responsibilities that come with being at the top of a professional sport at a young age — and as we’ll see later in the series, his death will be a blow to her.

But as we see Osaka back in the 2019 open, she helps young Coco Gauff, then 15, with her on-court interview after their match. She understands being in Coco’s position, and is always willing to help out people who were in her spot not that long ago. Then, she goes on to lose in the round of 16, which is frustrating to say the least. But she’s too busy to dwell, as we see her on Ellen and doing a fashion photo shoot in Los Angeles, then do another photo shoot in traditional Japanese clothing in Tokyo.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? Yes, Naomi Osaka is a sports documentary, but in essence it feels more like a biographical documentary of a more universally-known star. It’s less The Last Dance and more akin to something like Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work (really!).

Our Take: Naomi Osaka is a fascinating figure in the sports world, because she seemingly came out of nowhere (even though she didn’t) to take her first Grand Slam title in 2018. But it’s also because she’s the first East Asian to win a Grand Slam title. What the docuseries Naomi Osaka tries to do is get into her psyche to show us that, just because she’s on top of the world doesn’t mean she’s “on top of the world.”

The docuseries does a good job at catching Osaka at a point in her career where she realizes that she’s a grown up with her own agency when it comes to her pursuits, both athletic and otherwise. She mentions that her main motivation to earn as much as she can as a pro is so her mother can have a comfortable life, because she worked multiple jobs when Naomi was a kid. But she also feels pressure to represent both her Japanese and Haitian heritages. What she is realizing, though, is that she’s as good as people tell her she is.

But you can see a young woman who wants more, and at the same time, less. Less of the “stuff” that comes with her position — her discomfort at US Open press conferences is palpable — and more of the opportunities this fame can give her. She not only relishes branching out into other business ventures, but to use her voice in support of causes she believes in.

As the series goes along and we get into 2020, she’ll be dealing with the death of Bryant, the pandemic, and the murder of George Floyd. How her outspokenness grows as that year goes along will be the most interesting part of the docuseries.

Parting Shot: As she stands near a koi pond in Tokyo, dressed in a kimono, we hear her say in voice over about how she’s defined herself her whole life. “So, like, what am I if I’m not a good tennis player?”

Sleeper Star: Cordae is a funny dude. Hopefully we’ll see more of him in the series.

Most Pilot-y Line: None.

Our Call: STREAM IT. Will you get a ton of insight into Naomi Osaka’s inner thoughts in Naomi Osaka? No; she’s too reserved to let it all hang out. But you’ll get an idea what happens when fame comes to someone who is as introverted as Osaka is.

Joel Keller (@joelkeller) writes about food, entertainment, parenting and tech, but he doesn’t kid himself: he’s a TV junkie. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, RollingStone.com, VanityFair.com, Fast Company and elsewhere.

Stream Naomi Osaka On Netflix