Naomi Osaka Biography: Naomi Osaka, a Japanese professional tennis player who was born on October 16, 1997, has amassed four Grand Slam singles titles, two of which were achieved at the U.S. Open, and two at the Australian Open. In 2018, she achieved the historic feat of becoming the first Japanese player to secure a Grand Slam singles title by defeating her idol Serena Williams in the finals of the U.S. Open. Japanese by birth, she was reared in the United States. For the past two years, Forbes has ranked her as the highest-paid female athlete in history. Today, we pay tribute to the achievements of this exceptional athlete.
Naomi Osaka Biography
| Name | Naomi Osaka |
| Net Worth | $60 million |
| Profession | Tennis player |
| Birthday | October 16, 1997 |
Early years
Naomi Osaka was born to Tamaki and Leonard Francois Osaka in Osaka, Japan. Richard Williams’ success with his daughters Serena and Venus inspired her father to enroll his daughter and her elder sister Mari in tennis lessons, notwithstanding their lack of prior experience. To give his two daughters a better opportunity, he relocated the family to Florida in 2006, following Richard Williams’ “blueprint” for early childhood education.
Naomi Osaka Career
Osaka, who debuted on the I.T.F. Women’s Circuit on her 14th birthday in October 2011 after never having competed in the I.T.F. Junior Circuit, has suffered four defeats in I.T.F. finals. She defeated reigning U.S. Open Champion Samantha Stosur in her W.T.A. (Women’s Tennis Association) main draw debut at the 2014 Stanford Classic subsequent to her professional debut in September 2014. Notwithstanding her inability to secure another W.T.A. main draw victory in 2015, she ascended the rankings and made her professional début at the 2016 Pan Pacific Open, where she advanced to the 18th round of the W.T.A. final.
Notwithstanding her loss to Caroline Wozniacki in the championship match, she achieved the W.T.A. Newcomer of the Year distinction and a spot in the top 50 of the rankings. In March 2018, during the first round of the Miami Open, she advanced past Serena Williams, the person she had admired since infancy. Later that year, Osaka defeated Williams in the U.S. Open final to claim her first Grand Slam title and become the first Japanese woman to win a Grand Slam singles title. On January 28, 2019, following her Australian Open victory over Petra Kvitová, Osaka became the first Asian player to attain the position of world number one.
After the tour resumed in 2020, Osaka advanced to the finals of the Cincinnati Open and the U.S. Open despite enduring disappointing performances at the Brisbane International and the Australian Open prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Both times, she faced Victoria Azarenka in the Cincinnati Open championships. Although she was defeated by a hamstring injury, she managed to secure her second U.S. Open title in the past three years. With semifinal and final victories over Serena Williams and Jennifer Brady, she claimed her second Australian Open title and fourth Grand Slam in four years in 2021. Following her withdrawal from the 2021 French Open and subsequent absence from the Wimbledon Championships, she participated in the Tokyo Olympic Games.
Osaka is a shy individual who has previously spoken out against bigotry, police brutality, and hate crimes and is well-known for her advocacy work. She withdrew from the 2020 Cincinnati Open in protest of the police killing of Jacob Blake, and she wore masks bearing the names of African-Americans who had been murdered during the U.S. Open. After conversing on the phone, she met American rapper Y.B.N. Cordae in person for the first time at a Los Angeles Clippers basketball game. They are currently romantically involved. Before meeting Osaka, Cordae had no knowledge of tennis beyond the identities of the two Williams sisters. However, she now attends her matches on a regular basis to offer her support.
Facts
- Although she held dual citizenship, she elected to maintain her Japanese citizenship at the age of 22, when Japanese law mandates her to choose only one.
- Osaka relishes playing video games besides tennis, with “The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim” being her favorite.
- Osaka described herself using a catchphrase during an interview in which she was asked how she felt about a game.
- Osaka listed “Death Note” and “Code Geass” among her top five fave anime during an Instagram fan question-and-answer session.
- A result of her manifold achievements, Osaka is now the star of her own Netflix series, which debuted on July 16, 2021.
