based on Osaka’s self-titled Netflix documentary, with the italicized quotes taken directly from various interviews 

A chartreuse and white sphere sings through air,

When I hugged her at the net, I felt like a little kid again, sorry.

W cracked into Vs, racket shot to ground 

I know everyone was cheering for her, and I’m sorry it had to end like this.

with a bowed head, hushed victory, deafening apology: only twenty. 

Smile, enunciate every word,

People tell me I don’t move my mouth. Do I?

answer sans tears, stitch together sanguine honesty:

I always had this pressure to maintain the squeaky image. 

anything is okay if everything should be okay. 

A win is a fluke, wins are practice.

For so long, I’ve tied winning to my worth as a person. 

Play until the pressure dissipates,

No one really knows all the sacrifices you make…just to be good.

until the happiness appears.

Riots rage outside,

I realized that maybe I would have to be the one to take the first step.

civil unrest reigns over civilization,

I just want everyone to know the names.

an Asian black girl takes a stand.

A spark sings through veins,

Before I won the US Open, so many people told my dad that I would never be anything.

cracked bones mending, endings ending

My ancestors were on the ship for 40 days: I use that as strength. 

with a sudden urgency, fervent ferocity, new normalcy: twenty-three.

Not the defeat of doubt,

What am I if I’m not a good tennis player?

nor the ceasefire of suffering,

I have suffered long bouts of depression since the US Open in 2018.

but a few seconds to breathe, a window to dream. 

There are jokes to be jested,
Everyone who was born in Osaka, their last name is Osaka.

Olympics to have optimized for,

I think that playing for the pride of the country will make me feel more emotional.

more to make happen.

But now, I don’t care what anyone has to say. 

It is not about being a distraction,

We do this, it’s in my blood.

but setting precedent

I wanted to skip press conferences at Roland Garros to exercise self-care and preservation of my mental health. 

for being vulnerable, for being human.