Almost immediately after Naomi Osaka's victory at the U.S. Open, speculation began to swirl in both traditional and social media about the 20-year-old's reported dual-national status, given that dual citizens of Japan by birth are supposed to decide upon one or other nationality by the age of 22.

Whether the users, writers or bloggers were dabbling in borderline racist ideology or wholeheartedly endorsing multiculturalism, many appeared to be in agreement on at least one issue: In two years Osaka would be forced to forfeit her American citizenship in order to remain a Japanese citizen.

But is Osaka's apparent predicament as straightforward as many netizens make out? Does the law "force" you to choose?