1.About #USOpen

The main topic for the September 6th, 2019 show of Sekai e Hasshin! SNS Eigojutsu on NHK E-Tele was #USOpen.

We taped the show right in the middle of the U.S. Open—the fourth and final Grand Slam of the year—and the episode aired just as tennis fans around the world geared up for a weekend of incredible finals. We looked back at how two leading Japanese players fared, and I showed how enjoyment of tennis can be enhanced through social media.

Unfortunately, Naomi Osaka fell to her nemesis (on the court) Belinda Bencic in the fourth round, while Nishikori Kei lost to the up-and-coming Alex de Minaur in the third round.

si.robi, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Tatiana from Moscow, Russia, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

JC, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

si.robi, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Nishikori made his comeback from a wrist injury in 2018, and has been steadily rising up in the rankings ever since. By the end of 2018 he had broke back into the top 10, and he kicked off 2019 by winning the Brisbane International ahead of the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year. His results since have been promising and disappointing at the same time. As a fan, I can’t help but feel that his loss in the finals of the U.S. Open in 2014 continues to be a chip on his shoulder.

Meanwhile, Osaka started her year by winning the Australian Open in January, but her results have been somewhat disappointing since. There were concerns that she was suffering burnout, but she dispelled such rumors with renewed focus going into the U.S. swing. She went into the U.S. Open as the defending champion, and in that regard she acquitted herself honorably—overcoming the first-round hurdle with a hard-won three-set victory. While she was unable to defend her title, I attribute that less to Osaka herself and more to the depth of talent at the top echelon of women’s professional tennis. With Osaka’s loss in the fourth round, it was guaranteed that there would be a different champion for every Grand Slam this year.

As for the men’s side, the Australian Open this year was won by the Serbian player Novak Djokovic, followed by Spain’s Rafael Nadal winning the French Open, and then Djokovic again at Wimbledon. On Sunday, Rafael Nadal won his fourth U.S. Open title after five edge-of-your-seat sets. With the Big 3 still at the top of the sport, the “Next Gen" has yet to truly arrive.

2.The Sarcasm and Self-Deprecating Humor of Naomi Osaka

In the wee hours of the morning on the day of our taping, Naomi Osaka lost her fourth round match. Later that morning, at our pre-taping script meeting, we had a lively discussion as to how to address the loss in the show. Just then, we saw that Osaka had posted a message reflecting on her U.S. Open experience to social media less than half an hour earlier. We decided that message would be the first tweet we featured on the episode.

Resilient, indeed—the tweet had come just eight hours after her loss. Maybe Osaka’s generation of digital natives are simply quick to get back on their feet—or at least share how they feel with the world. (Some other players post regularly on the lead-up to events but disappear off of the platform for an extended hiatus after a bad loss.)

Judging by Osaka’s on-court interviews, post-match conferences and posts to social media, it’s clear that she is wise beyond her years and has a good head on her shoulders. She faces her challenges head-on, and with intent. She also has an abundance of unassuming charm that shines through in everything she says and does—on the court and off. Although she posts snapshots of her life to over one million followers, she comes across as self-aware and humble about her celebrity.

While Osaka plays for Japan, her sense of humor is unmistakably American, and unmistakably of her generation. By that I mean she is brimming with sarcasm. (Sarcasm is often translated as 皮肉 in Japanese, but 皮肉 usually refers to remarks meant to hurt other’s feelings; sarcasm is also used to show irritation or to be funny.) In Osaka’s case, she regularly uses sarcasm to poke fun at herself. Case in point, the following tweet our resident English teacher Naito-san introduced on the episode:

Osaka jokingly refers to her extended comments—included in the post as a screenshot—as a book. Her preface to that book, if I can take the liberty to interpret: “This post turned out much longer than expected. Still, I’m going to post it, and I’d be grateful if you gave it a read." The rules of sarcasm mandate that she express that in an indirect, roundabout way. That sense of reserved embarrassment is evident in many of her posts.

3.The Philosophical Musings of Stephanos Tsitsipas

In the episode we also featured some tweets by Greek player Stephanos Tsitsipas, considered one of the brightest stars of the so-called “Next-Gen" (a label given to promising up-and-coming tennis players). In 2018 he won the year-end Next Generation ATP Finals, and then he kicked off 2019 to an impressive start by defeating Roger Federer and reaching the semi-finals of the Australian Open. His results since the start of the grass season, unfortunately, have been less exciting, and he lost his first round match at this year’s U.S. Open. That being said, he has demonstrated with each tough defeat he’s suffered that he is the kind of player to accept his losses and put in the work to come back stronger than ever. He’s a player that has arrived—but has yet to achieve his full potential.

Tsitsipas is known for his very peculiar musings on social media. Take the following tweet, for example, clearly the work of a Mediterranean poet:

He is also known for a tendency to wax philosophical:

Tennis players are notorious for their habits and routines. There are players who have to bounce the ball five times before serving, or who regrip their racket in between sets to calm themselves. Rafael Nadal—known for his obsessive-compulsive nature—is very particular about the placement of his water bottles, and any misalignments can throw off his concentration. Tsitsipas’s tweet is his way of reminding himself to do things not out of habit, but because they will serve a larger purpose.

At the 2019 French Open, Tsitsipas lost to Swiss player Stan Wawrinka after a grueling five-set battle in the fourth round.

After the match, Tsitsipas admitted, “It’s the worst feeling ever. Especially when you lose," and that it’d been “a long time since I cried after a match." At an age when so many would consider it uncool to care so much, Tsitsipas seems the human manifestation of earnestness—and that has won him many supporters. Later that same day, he compared tennis to life in the following post to Instagram:

Tsitsipas is known for comporting himself on the court with dignity and confidence—there’s no doubt in his mind that he deserves to be there—but off the court he is a sensitive artist-type.

4.Tennis is a Sport That Involves a lot of Losing

Tennis is a mesmerizing sport to watch, but as a tennis fan I find post-match interviews equally intriguing to watch. In post-match on-court interviews, the player is still running high on adrenaline, and reactions are often emotional, candid, and unfiltered. After the player has had some time to cool down, post-match press conferences are a fascinating look at a player analyzing their own technique and tactics on the court.

Then there are the social media posts. Usually, they come after the player has been able to fully process a match—and in some marked instances, too soon—and can offer insight into a player’s process, their approach to the sport, and sometimes even their life philosophies. Naomi Osaka and Stephanos Tsitsipas are two particularly demonstrative examples.

This type of reflection can be seen in players of any sport, of course, but compared to team sports, individual sports like tennis often present a window into players’ struggles in ways you wouldn’t see in other sports. (Of course, tennis does have doubles, as well as team competitions.) The only player to walk out of a tournament a winner is the champion; every other player walks away with the bitter taste of defeat still fresh on their tongues.

Tennis—specifically singles—is a pretty lonely sport. Two gladiators walk out onto a court, putting their livelihood on the line as they push their bodies to the limit. They are out there alone, and after a defeat they only have themselves to blame. This is especially true when it comes to holding serve, as the player is in full control. Tennis is the ultimate example of the idea that “the worst enemy is yourself". (On the women’s circuit, on-court coaching is allowed at tour-level events but not at Grand Slams. On-court coaching remains a controversial and unresolved topic.)

This sentiment is personified by the Swiss player Stan Wawrinka, who has the following quote from the Irish playwright Samuel Beckett tattooed on his left arm:

Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.

This quote is taken from a particularly enigmatic prose piece by the writer, and has been co-opted by American entrepreneurs and the self-help industry as a mantra meaning, in essence, “never give up". For a late bloomer like Wawrinka—who won his first Grand Slam title at 28—all of the losses he’s experienced have made him the player he is today.

At the beginning of this episode we featured a tweet from Naomi Osaka reflecting on her U.S. Open loss. It turns out she posted a similar, longer message to Instagram, which has since been deleted, but here is the key sentence:
So I was gonna post an inspirational quote about how today went but that would be a lie lol.

Osaka’s shy embarrassment shines through as ever, and the sarcasm masks what was likely a devastating loss; it’s unsurprising that she isn’t over it, a mere eight hours later. My hope is that she channels her disappointment into fuel that will drive her through to the end of the season, and then to the beginning of the next one—where she will well situated to defend her Australian Open title.

5.About My Tennis Outfit for This Episode

As the show is on NHK, I made it a point to choose items that did not display a prominent logo—or at least, had logos that could easily be hidden by reversing the item.

Charcoal gray shirt by Asics

This shirt is from Asics, made in collaboration with the Canadian streetwear brand Reigning Champ.

Black shorts by Under Armour

These are black training shorts by Under Armour, which I purchased at their Shibuya Clubhouse.

Black head tie by Nike

This is a black “Dri-Fit Head Tie" by Nike, which I purchased at Windsor Racket Shop Shibuya.

White sweatband by Adidas

These are white tennis wristbands by Adidas, which I purchased at Windsor Racket Shop Shibuya.

White socks by Windsor

These white socks are by the in-house brand at Windsor Racket Shop Shibuya.

Tennis shoes by Adidas

These are “GameCourt M MC" multi-court tennis shoes by Adidas, which I purchased at a discount at Windsor Racket Shop Shibuya.