Naomi Osaka: Olympic poster girl shows signs of her sporting greatness even in rusty return

This is what Naomi Osaka does with her life: she plays tennis better than any woman in the world. That has its rewards, 20 million of them and counting in prize money alone, but it also has its costs

Naomi Osaka serves to China's Zheng Saisai. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

There’s a quiet, peaceful tranquility as the ball hangs in the air, suspended in time, but right when reaches its apex, Naomi Osaka loads up her right arm and prepares to choose violence.

The silence at the Ariake Tennis Centre in Tokyo is broken by an explosive pop, its noise accentuated by the sound of Osaka’s feet slapping back to earth from her service leap. The ball rockets across to the other side of the net, flashing at China’s Saisai Zheng faster than she’s able to react: 15-love.