Naomi Osaka

ABOUT

Naomi Osaka is a Japanese professional tennis player renowned for her powerful playing style and dynamic performance on the court. Born on October 16, 1997, in Chūō-ku, Osaka, Japan, she has rapidly ascended the global tennis rankings, earning widespread recognition and several prestigious titles. Osaka is particularly noted for her historic victories in Grand Slam tournaments and for her advocacy on social and racial issues.

BEFORE FAME

Before her ascent to tennis stardom, Naomi Osaka spent her formative years honing her skills on the courts of New York. Both her parents, Leonard Francois and Tamaki Osaka, were instrumental in her early training. Leonard Francois, inspired by the Williams sisters' father, Richard Williams, encouraged both Naomi and her sister Mari Osaka to pursue tennis professionally from a young age. The family moved to the United States when Osaka was three years old, eventually settling in Florida to provide better training opportunities for the sisters.

Naomi Osaka turned professional in September 2013, at the age of 15. Although she started at the ITF Women's Circuit and smaller WTA events, her talent quickly became evident. Her breakthrough came in 2016 when she reached the third round of the Australian Open, and later that year, she made it to her first WTA final at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo.

TRIVIA

• Naomi Osaka made history in 2018 by winning the US Open, becoming the first Japanese player to win a Grand Slam singles title.
• She followed up this success by winning the Australian Open in 2019, which catapulted her to the No. 1 spot in the WTA rankings, making her the first Asian player to achieve this feat.
• Osaka is known for her strong service game and ferocious groundstrokes.
• Beyond tennis, she is recognized for her activism. Osaka has been a vocal advocate for the Black Lives Matter movement, using her platform to speak out against racial injustice.
• In 2020, she wore masks with the names of Black victims of brutality and racial injustice to her matches during the US Open, making a profound statement that gained international acclaim.
• Forbes named her the highest-earning female athlete in the world in 2020.

FAMILY LIFE

Naomi Osaka comes from a multicultural background, with her father being Haitian and her mother Japanese. This diverse heritage has played a significant role in shaping her identity both on and off the court. Osaka has a close relationship with her family, especially her sister Mari, who also played professional tennis before retiring in 2021.

Her family has been supportive of her career from the beginning, with her mother's strict upbringing and her father's unswerving commitment to her training forming the backbone of her early development in the sport. Despite the challenges of balancing her career with personal life, Osaka continues to maintain strong connections with her family.

ASSOCIATED WITH

Naomi Osaka has often been compared to the Williams sisters, Serena and Venus, who have been both her inspiration and contemporaries on the tour. She notably defeated Serena Williams in the controversial 2018 US Open final, a match that brought her significant attention and established her as a formidable competitor in women's tennis.

In addition to her competitive rivalries, Osaka has also engaged with various brands and celebrities through endorsements and partnerships. She has collaborated with major companies like Nike, Nissan, and Yonex, and has been featured alongside sports icons like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant in various promotional activities. Her influence extends beyond tennis, as seen in her strong presence in the fashion industry and her activism.