Naomi Osaka Quick Info | |
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Height | 5 ft 11 in |
Weight | 69 kg |
Date of Birth | October 16, 1997 |
Zodiac Sign | Libra |
Eye Color | Dark Brown |
Naomi Osaka turned pro just a month short of her 16th birthday. At that time, she was considered as one of the most exciting prospects in the female tennis circuit. Over the years, she has steadily improved her game and has made undeniable progress in the WTA Tour events. Naomi made her Grand Slam debut at the start of 2016 and has, since then, delivered great performances in several high-profile tennis events including defeating Maria Sharapova at Indian Wells and Venus Williams in the Hong Kong Open.
Born Name
Naomi Osaka
Native Name
大坂 なおみ
Nick Name
Naomi
Sun Sign
Libra
Born Place
Chūō-ku, Osaka, Japan
Residence
Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, United States
Nationality
Education
Naomi Osaka went to the Elmont Alden Terrace Primary School. After she found it hard to find time for regular education because of her tennis commitments, she got enrolled at the Broward Virtual High School, from where she completed her high school education.
Occupation
Professional Tennis Player
Family
- Father – Leonard “San” François
- Mother – Tamaki Osaka
- Siblings – Mari Osaka (Older Sister) (Professional Tennis Player)
Manager
Naomi Osaka is represented by IMG.
Plays
Right-Handed (Two-Handed Backhand)
Turned Pro
September 2013
Build
Athletic
Height
5 ft 11 in or 180 cm
Weight
69 kg or 152 lbs
Boyfriend / Spouse
Naomi has dated –
- YBN Cordae (2019-Present) – Naomi started dating American singer YBN Cordae in 2019. In January 2023, the couple revealed that they were expecting their first child together, a baby girl. In July 2023, it was confirmed that the couple had welcomed a baby girl.
Race / Ethnicity
Multiracial
On her father’s side, she has Haitian ancestry. While on her mother’s side, she is of Japanese descent.
Hair Color
Dark Brown
She has often given ‘blonde’ highlights a try.
Eye Color
Dark Brown
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
Curly Hair
Brand Endorsements
Naomi Osaka has inked an endorsement deal with Adidas. So, she often uses her social media posts to promote the popular sportswear brand. She has also used her social media posts to promote other brands such as Palace Skateboards.
In December 2016, she inked endorsement deals with broadcaster WOWOW and food brand, Nissin.
She became the brand ambassador for CITIZEN Watches in 2018.
In 2021, she was made the global brand ambassador for Louis Vuitton.
In January 2021, she was announced the brand ambassador of Tag Heuer watches.
Best Known For
Being one of the best Japanese female tennis players. She is also considered as one of the most popular and finest players in the female circuit.
First Tennis Match
In 2013, she played her first tennis match.
In July 2014, she made her WTA Tour main draw debut after having defeated Alla Kudryavtseva and Petra Martić in the qualifying round. She was paired against Samantha Stosur and despite being a set down, she managed to win the match, which lasted for 2 and a half hours.
Personal Trainer
Apart from her hour-long tennis practice sessions, Naomi Osaka also spends considerable time in the gym to improve her fitness and game. She focuses on functional training to make her stabilizing muscles stronger and to develop game-related endurance. She has also added boxing to her workout regime.
Naomi Osaka Favorite Things
- Idol – Serena Williams
- Tennis Players – Billie Jean King, Serena Williams
- City – Tokyo
- Pump Up Song – Crisis by Rich Brian ft. 21 Savage
- Tennis Memories – Competing at the U.S. Opens
- Ice-Cream – Vanilla ice cream with no toppings
- Emoji – Loudly Crying Face
- Meal – Sushi, any type of soul food
- Holiday – Christmas
- Drink – LYTE sports drink by BODYARMOR (Peach mango and coconut are her favorite flavors)
Source – Popsugar, RacquetMag.com, ESPN, Us Magazine
Naomi Osaka Facts
- When she was 3 years old, her family moved to the United States and decided to settle down in Florida.
- At the age of 3, she started her tennis coaching under the supervision of her father Leonard François.
- In 2018, she got her first car, Nissan GT-R. She drove it for approx 3 years.
- She doesn’t drink coffee.
- She took her early tennis training at Harold Solomon Institute (Florida Tennis SBT Academy) and ProWorld Tennis Academy.
- As she has dual, Japanese and American, citizenship, she was courted by both Japan Tennis Association and the American Tennis Association. However, her father decided to register her with the former as he felt that they were offering her better support and assistance.
- In November 2015, Naomi managed to win her first WTA Final as she emerged victorious at the Rising Stars Invitational exhibition tournament.
- In January 2016, she made her Grand Slam debut at the Australian Open. She managed to reach the 3rd round of the tournament, where she was defeated by former champion Victoria Azarenka in straight sets.
- In 2016, she was voted as the newcomer of the year and was honored for the same at WTA Awards.
- At the start of 2018, Naomi changed her coach and hired Aleksander Bajin. By the summer, she also started training at Evert Tennis Academy in Boca Raton, Florida. These changes did wonders to her game as by September, she was ranked #19 after starting the year in the 68th rank.
- In March 2018, she grabbed worldwide attention as she managed to defeat Serena Williams in the first round of the Miami Open. She managed to steamroll her idol in straight sets.
- In September 2018, she defeated Madison Keys in straight sets in the semifinals of the US Open. It helped her achieve her first appearance in the finals of the Grand Slam event.
- With her semi-final victory in the 2018 US Open, she became the first Japanese female player to reach a Grand Slam final. Later, she beat Serena Williams in the final of the US Open 2018 and made history as she became the first Japanese tennis player to win a Grand Slam title. With this win, she also reached the world ranking of no 7.
- Her playing style is aggressive in nature. Her ball serving speed can go up to 125 miles per hour (or 200 km/h).
- Naomi Osaka is one of the most marketable athletes in the world due to her multi-ethnic background, personality, and multiple Grand Slam singles win.
- She won the US Open 2020 title (in the singles category) where she played against Victoria Azarenka in the finals. This was her second US Open title win. The first one happened in 2018.
- She has graced the cover of Vogue magazine’s January 2021 issue.
- In February 2021, she won the Australian Open 2021 tournament by defeating Jennifer Brady by 6–4 and 6–3 in straight sets.
- In May 2021, Noami collaborated with Frankies Bikinis to launch her own swimwear collection titled Naomi Osaka X Frankies Bikinis.
- Naomi had co-hosted the 2021 Met Gala event alongside Timothée Chalamet, Billie Eilish, and Amanda Gorman.
- During the 2021 French Open held in the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, Naomi didn’t do any interviews with the press due to her mental health.
- On January 28, 2019, Noami Osaka had achieved the highest world ranking of #1 in the singles category.
- At the start of the 2020 season, she had changed her coach to Wim Fissette (a former Belgian player).
- In 2020, as per Forbes, she was the highest-paid female athlete.
- In May 2021, Naomi announced that she would not be doing any interviews with the press during the 2021 French Open. Later that month, she was fined $15,000 by the tournament organizers at Roland Garros while also issuing her a warning of a possible suspension. Later, she withdrew her name from the 2021 French Open. In June 2021, she also withdrew from the Berlin WTA 5000 tournament due to her mental health.
- Following her other tournament withdrawals, she also withdrew from Wimbledon 2021 as she wanted to spend some personal time with friends and family.
- She has graced the August 2021 issue of Vogue Japan.
- During Tokyo Olympics 2020, Naomi got knocked out of the Olympics after she lost her match in the 3rd round of the tennis tournament to the Czech Republic’s Marketa Vondrousova in straight sets 6-1, 6-4.
- During the 2021 U.S. Open, she lost the match to Leylah Fernandez during the 3rd round.
- In September 2021, Naomi announced that she was taking an indefinite break from playing tennis.
- In February 2022, it was revealed that Naomi had purchased a house from Nick and Vanessa Lachey in the San Fernando Valley for $6.3 million.
- Due to the Achilles injury, she opted out of Wimbledon 2022. This was her second consecutive year of withdrawal from this Grand Slam tournament.
- In May 2022, she started an athlete management agency called Evolve in partnership with her longtime agent, Stuart Duguid. Nick Kyrgios was the first client she signed for her company.
- In collaboration with LeBron James‘s SpringHill Company, Naomi launched a new media company called Hana Kuma (called “flower bear” in Japanese) in June 2022. She aims to make documentaries as well as scripted and unscripted series.
- She loves cooking. Her love for cooking increased when she experimented with it in the COVID-19 quarantine.
- Naomi was starstruck when she first met Beyoncé.
- Naomi is a homebody.
- She is a little crazy about brushing her teeth.
- In 2021, she took guitar lessons.
- Disappointing people is her biggest fear.
- She wears sunscreen daily even if she has to stay inside all day long just to protect herself from harmful blue rays from the phone or computer.
- Freshly cut watermelon is her go-to snack if she is in a hurry.
- She loves dogs.
- In January 2023, Naomi withdrew from Australian Open 2023. At that time, she was ranked #47.
Featured Image by Naomi Osaka / Instagram
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