A meticulous biography that is, in turns, earnest and ardent ... In some respects, her biography is premature. Ms. Osaka has returned to the fray and embarked on a brand-new chapter of tennis and (almost certainly) triumphs. She is a mother now, and older, better equipped to slay her demons. There will be another book, no doubt, in a few years’ time and, judging by the quality of this one, we’d certainly want Mr. Rothenberg to write it.
Rothenberg’s book is timed for its subject’s much-anticipated return. He devotes nearly half of this assiduously researched biography to explaining how Osaka’s unorthodox childhood and adolescence set her up paradoxically for fame and floundering in professional tennis. Rothenberg interviewed dozens of people, including Osaka, her family and coaches, to tell this story. The result is a book that is bolder than previous accounts of the star’s sometimes turbulent life ... At its best, this biography is a meticulous interrogation of the price tennis players pay to pursue their dreams.
Includes lots of the play-by-play from her major matches, but it doesn’t seem bogged down by minutiae. Naomi is still young and although Rothenberg ends his book when she gives birth to her daughter Shai in 2023, this is still very much a coming-of-age story. It is tempting to see in Naomi Osaka a multi-ethnic, multi-identity future where individuals are judged on their abilities and accomplishments. But whether such a world can exist outside the ranks of the globalized elite, of which sports stars are a part, remains to be seen.
Moving ... Using her platform, Osaka has made a mark advocating for mental health and, as Rothenberg shows, along the way learned to be unapologetically herself.
Compassionate if unrevealing ... Rothenberg provides exciting accounts of key matches and a sensitive treatment of Osaka’s public battle with depression, but his subject remains something of an enigma, with the shy superstar’s inner life never quite coming into focus. Still, Osaka’s fans will lap this up.
The attention to detail is admirable, though perhaps too much text is devoted to the progress of individual matches. Because Osaka is only 25, a 450-page book seems a bit excessive at this point in her journey. A solid account of the early stages of an as-yet-unfinished career.
