In 1997, the long-simmering resentment Agassi harbored against having been forced into tennis came to a crescendo. At 27 (the same as Osaka is now) he was a celebrated, three-time Grand Slam champion floundering in a failing marriage (with movie star Brooke Shields), dabbling in crystal meth, dealing with injury and watching his tennis career circle the drain. He went 12-12 that year, with no titles. By year’s end his ranking had bottomed out at No. 141.
But Agassi picked himself up by the bootstraps with help from his coach Brad Gilbert and his loyal, lifelong fitness trainer—and surrogate father figure—Gil Reyes. Agassi won five titles and shot back up to No. 4 in 1998, setting the stage for an astonishing second career, during which he completed a career Grand Slam and won five of his eight Grand Slam singles titles.
Osaka had four major singles titles and the No. 2 ranking in hand when she experienced her own crisis in 2021. She was struggling with depression, feeling the pressure of her position. Had she been a contemporary of Agassi’s in an era before mental health was freely discussed (that it became so is, to a large extent, due to Osaka), she might have walked away from tennis for good. But here she is.
That Osaka has re-discovered her love of tennis, and no longer holds a grudge against having been set on the path that has made her a global star, is welcome news. Whether or not she can still mount an Agassi-like comeback—she is currently ranked No. 50—is an intriguing question that will be answered for good in the coming months. A year in, Osaka’s comeback from a mental-health break and motherhood hasn’t been as smooth as Agassi’s was 27 years ago.
