Naomi Osaka is a professional tennis player from Japan. She has won two US Open singles titles and two Australian Open singles titles so far. She was born in Japan and raised in the United States.
In 2018, she became the first Japanese player to win a Grand Slam singles title by beating Serena Williams in the finals of the US Open. Williams was her idol. Forbes has said for two years in a row that she is the female athlete who has made the most money in history.
She is known for her protest and support of the “Black Lives Matter” movement. She was named one of the “2020 Sports Illustrated Sportspersons of the Year” and has been on Time’s list of the 100 most influential people twice.
Naomi Osaka’s Bio, Age
Naomi Osaka was born in Ch-Ku, Osaka, Japan, on October 16, 1997. Her father, Leonard Francois, was from Haiti and her mother, Tamaki Osaka, was from Japan. Her parent’s relationship was not accepted by her mother’s parents, so when she was three, her family moved to the United States and settled in Valley Stream, New York, on Long Island.
Even though he didn’t know much about tennis, her dad was inspired to teach her and her older sister Mari after seeing how well Richard Williams trained his daughters Serena and Venus. He used the “blueprint” that Williams gave him to train his two daughters from a young age. In 2006, he moved his family to Florida to give his daughters better chances.
What illness does Naomi Osaka have?
She won the Associated Press “Female Athlete of the Year” award in 2020. But she has been dealing with anxiety and depression for a long time. These mental health problems have made it harder for her to do her job duties, like going to press conferences with the media.
Career
Naomi Osaka never played on the ITF Junior Circuit. Instead, she made her debut on the ITF Women’s Circuit on her 14th birthday in October 2011. Since then, she has lost four ITF finals. After she turned pro in September 2013, she beat former US Open champion Samantha Stosur in her first WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) main draw match at the 2014 Stanford Classic.
Even though she didn’t win another WTA biggest draw match in 2015, her ranking went up. At the 2016 Pan Pacific Open, she reached her first WTA final at the age of 18. Even though Caroline Wozniacki beat her in the final, she moved into the top 50 of the WTA rankings and was named “WTA Newcomer of the Year.”
Why did Naomi cry Osaka?
Naomi Osaka cried during her match at the Indian Wells Masters in California. During Osaka’s tennis match against Veronika Kudermetova, someone in the crowd yelled, “Naomi, you stink!” at the tennis star.
Naomi Osaka didn’t have a great year in 2017. She didn’t win more than two main draw matches at any tournament all year. But she came back the next year and won the Indian Wells Open by beating two top-10 players, including the No. 1 player at the time, Simona Halep.
She played Serena Williams in the first round of the Miami Open in March 2018 and beat her. Williams was her childhood hero. Later that same year, she beat Williams again in the final of the US Open to win her first Grand Slam title and become the first Japanese player to win a Grand Slam singles title.
Naomi Osaka was No. 4 in the WTA rankings at the end of 2018. On January 28, 2019, she beat Petra Kvitová to win the Australian Open and became the first Asian player to reach No. 1 in the world. With this win, she tied Serena Williams’ record for most consecutive Grand Slam singles titles, but she had difficulties the rest of the year and had to pull out of the WTA Finals because of an injury.
Even though she didn’t do well at the Brisbane International and the Australian Open before the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown, Osaka made it to the finals of the Cincinnati Open and the US Open when the tour started up again in 2020. She played Victoria Azarenka both times, and while she lost the Cincinnati Open final because of a hamstring injury, she won her second US Open in three years.
In 2021, she beat Serena Williams in the semifinals and Jennifer Brady in the final to win her second Australian Open title and fourth Grand Slam in four years. After dropping out of the 2021 French Open and skipping the Wimbledon Championships, she played in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics but was shocked to be eliminated in the third round.
Body Measurements
- Height: 5 feet 11 inches
- Weight: 69 kg
- Hair Color: Dark Brown
- Eye Color: Dark Brown
Awards and Achievements
Naomi Osaka is the first Japanese player to win a Grand Slam singles title and the first Asian to be ranked number one by the WTA. She has won four Grand Slams in a row.
Naomi Osaka is a quiet person, but she is known for her activism. She has spoken out about racism, police abuse, and hate crimes.
In 2020, she took a break from the Cincinnati Open to protest the police shooting of Jacob Blake. At the US Open, she played each match wearing a mask with the name of an African-American who had been killed.
What’s Naomi Osaka doing now?
Naomi Osaka will be more interested in tennis than in anything else in 2023. Naomi Osaka has a lot of big plans for 2023, but she is a tennis player first, so that is what she will focus on. Many of Osaka’s fans were disappointed that she hasn’t been focusing on tennis lately.
Who is Naomi Osaka’s Boyfriend?
She is dating Grammy-nominated American rapper YBN Cordae. They first talked on the phone and then met in person at a Los Angeles Clippers basketball game. Before she met Osaka, Cordae didn’t know much about tennis except for the names of the two Williams sisters. Cordae now goes to all of her matches to cheer her on.
Naomi Osaki announces her Pregnancy
Naomi Osaka is pregnant — and says she could be returning to the tennis court next year.
Osaka shared the news, along with a photo of a sonogram, and messages, in both Japanese and English, on social media Wednesday afternoon.
“I know that I have so much to look forward to in the future, one thing I’m looking forward to is for my kid to watch one of my matches and tell someone, ‘that’s my mom,’ haha,” Osaka wrote.
Quick Facts about Naomi Osaka
- Naomi Osaka was an American citizen until she turned 22.
- In October 2019, she chose to give up her American citizenship so she could follow Japanese law.
- She was chosen to light the Olympic cauldron at the opening ceremony in Tokyo, but after she didn’t win a medal, many people questioned her right to represent a country where everyone is of the same race.