OSAKA Naomi

General
DOCUMENTARY
The documentary 'Naomi Osaka' was released in July 2021. "This isn't like a tennis match where I win or lose and from there people can say whether I did well or not. This is a look into my life from certain time periods and I can't fight the feeling of wondering how will it be received. This is in some ways my soul and a reflection of who I am." (Instagram profile, 17 Jul 2021)

FRENCH OPEN WITHDRAWAL
Ahead of the 2021 French Open, she announced she would not be conducting her mandatory media assignments during the tournament. She was fined 15,000 USD after failing to attend the press conference following her first round victory, and announced she was withdrawing from the tournament the following day, citing mental health issues. She also withdrew from Wimbledon the following month. "The truth is I have suffered long bouts of depression since the US Open in 2018 and I have had a really hard time coping with that. I am not a natural public speaker and get huge waves of anxiety before I speak to the world's media. I get really nervous and find it stressful to always try to engage and give you the best answers I can. So here in Paris I was already feeling vulnerable and anxious, so I thought it was better to exercise self-care and skip the press conferences. I'm going to take some time away from the court now, but when the time is right I really want to work with the Tour to discuss ways we can make things better for the players, press and fans." (yomiuri.co.jp, 01 Jun 2021; bbc.com, 28 Jun 2021)

INVESTMENT IN SPORTS CLUB
In January 2021 she became a co-owner of the US National Women's Soccer League [NWLS] football team North Carolina Courage. "Throughout my career, I've always received so much love from my fellow female athletes so that's why I am proud to share that I am now an owner of North Carolina Courage. My investment in the North Carolina Courage is far beyond just being a team owner, it's an investment in amazing women who are role models and leaders in their fields and inspirations to all young female athletes." (bbc.com, 28 Jan 2021; tennisworldusa.org, 01 Feb 2021; edition.cnn.com, 28 Jan 2021; goal.com, 29 Jan 2021)

HERITAGE
Born in Osaka, Japan, to Japanese mother and a Haitian father, she moved to the United States of America with her family at age three. "My dad's Haitian, so I grew up in a Haitian household in New York [United States of America]. I lived with my grandma. And my mum's Japanese and I grew up with the Japanese culture too, and if you're saying American, I guess because I lived in America, I also have that too." (olympics.nbcsports.com, 25 Apr 2019; naomiosaka.com, 23 Mar 2020; bbc.com, 14 Sep 2020; washingtonpost.com, 10 Sep 2018)

She became the first Japanese tennis player to be ranked number one in the singles world rankings following her victory at the 2019 Australian Open. (naomiosaka.com, 16 Jul 2021)

She became the first Japanese player to win a Grand Slam tournament when she beat US player Serena Williams at the 2018 US Open. (SportsDeskOnline, 20 Aug 2019; insidethegames.biz, 28 Jul 2019; wtatennis.com, 08 Sep 2018)