Naomi Osaka Caught Reading During First-Round Loss At Australian Open In What Has To Be An Attention-Seeking Tactic

Published|Updated

Naomi Osaka's return to Grand Slam tennis did not go as planned, but the former World No. 1 did appear to get a bit of light reading in during her first-round match.

Osaka received a tough draw right out of the gates in Australia having to take on No. 16 seed Carolina Garcia, and from the onset it was rather clear she was still working off the rust. Garcia was able to win the first set 6-4 before closing out the match in the second set, 7-6.

Osaka's level of tennis may not have been up to her standard, but her ability to draw attention to herself certainly was.

During a change of ends, Osaka sat down on her bench and grabbed what appeared to be a notebook from her bag. She sat reading it like it was some sort of novel, and while it was likely just reminders of positive affirmations or notes on her opponent, that doesn't make it any less strange.

While the Aussie Open marked just her second event since giving birth to her daughter in July 2023, it's fair to assume Osaka hasn't forgotten how to play tennis or how to carry herself on the court. She is a four-time Grand Slam winner. She doesn't need mid-match notes to win first-round matches, which gives plenty of reason to believe that this was some sort of tactic to get attention.

Osaka is fully aware that all eyes are on her and her bringing out her handy dandy notebook serves as a bit of a distraction from the fact that she lost in the opening round in straight sets.

That may sound extremely far-fetched, but only if you haven't been paying attention to Osaka over the last handful of years.

Nobody in professional sports complains about having the spotlight on her while at the same time begging for the spotlight. She can't answer media questions and gets emotional when 'difficult' questions are lobbed her way, but poses for the cover of Sports Illustrated, Vogue, signs up for a Netflix special, and rolls up to the Met Gala.

Talking isn't her thing, but apparently reading is.

Tags
Written by

Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.