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Once considered an Australian tennis prodigy, Omar Jasika was tipped to become a household name in the sport. However, Jasika has not yet fulfilled those expectations of him due to a multitude of reasons.
In an interview with Punto De Break, the Australian spoke about the current generation of Australian players like Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis and how the game has come under immense scrutiny from the media in the country. Jasika spoke about how Kyrgios is constantly in the eye of the media in Australia.
"Of course, I think tennis in Australia is much more popular thanks to Nick (Kyrgios). The press likes to talk about him all the time. If you take a walk, it will appear in the press. It's everywhere. That makes tennis more recognized in Australia. You see a lot more young people playing tennis thanks to Nick," Jasika said.
Omar Jasika also spoke about how Ashleigh Barty also comes under similar scrutiny by the Australian media. The 25-year-old believes that the media sometimes "turn a story" to make it more captivating.
"Exactly, also with Ash Barty. However, the press can lead to some misunderstandings. I understand that sometimes they want to find a great story, but sometimes that story is not correct. Sometimes they try to turn a story around to make it more interesting, which I totally understand, but that doesn't help all the people around," Jasika said.
The 25-year-old Australian was handed a two-year suspension due to testing positive for cocaine and was unable to return after the suspension due to COVID-19 leading to the cancelation of tournaments.
"I think I got a pretty stiff penalty, two years for a performance-enhancing recreational drug that, to me, has consumed half of this planet. Of course: all that made me a better person. I feel like it made me a better person," Jasika said.
"I was also very unlucky, because after my two-year suspension I was going to play again. In my first tournament back I was really looking forward to it... but it was suspended due to COVID. That's where COVID came. I had to wait another year, three years had already passed after the suspension," he added.
"That US Open, in 2014, was an incredible experience" - Omar Jasika recalls his US Open junior win
One of the biggest reasons why Omar Jasika was tipped to become a household name in the sport was due to his performances in the junior ranks. Jasika broke into the limelight by winning the 2014 US Open junior singles as well as the doubles title.
"At the time I didn't realize it, no. Now I realize, I am 25 years old and I am already aware of all that. At that time I wasn't processing everything that was going on. That US Open, in 2014, was an incredible experience," Jasika said.
Omar Jasika also spoke about how winning the tournament changed everything as he felt so much pressure and burden after that victory. Jasika spoke about how sad he feels because he didn't capitalize on his achievement to become one of the best players in the world.
"A lot has happened since that tournament. I felt too much pressure after that. He was part of a generation with names like Zverev, Rublev, Quentin Halys... now I see all those names in the top-10 and in the top-50. It helps me, but at the same time it's sad, because I feel like I could be there, with them," Jasika concluded.
