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Naomi Osaka is already a star at 23 years old. He has all four Grand Slam titles, unprecedented endorsement deals, and the willingness to speak his mind to prove it.
Now the question is: Where does it go from here?
It was telling that the second question Osaka was asked at the press conference following her 6-4, 6-3 win over Jennifer Brady in the Australian Open final on Saturday, after taking a sip of bubbly celebration which she said made her “feel a bit funny”, it was about getting better performances at Wimbledon and the French Open.
After all, each of his major championships so far has been held on hard courts at Melbourne Park (2019, 2021) or the US Open (2018, 2020). He has never made it past the third round at the All England Club or Roland Garros.
Even more revealing was Osaka’s response.
When asked if his first non-hard court Slam trophy will come on clay or grass, he said: “Hopefully clay, because that’s the one that comes first.”
She is not about biding her time or improving patiently.
Fourth main title: ✅@naomiosakaclimb to the top ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/Ie1YN7sxZR
– SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 20, 2021
And you’ve been thinking about where you need to improve.
“One of his goals this year was to play well off the hard courts. She is still very young. It is time to grow on those surfaces. She also believes that she can do well and I’m sure with the right preparation, with some, perhaps, tactical (and) technical adjustments, we will do well, ”said her coach, Wim Fissette. “She is the person who wants to grow.”
Part of what makes Osaka special is accepting challenges and knowing what it stands for.
That has been the case off the court.
With a racket in hand, it’s about, as Fissette said, being able to “love the big games and the big moments.”
Osaka wanted to face 23-time Major’s champion Serena Williams in the semi-finals, for example.
There is no fear there.
Naomi Osaka overcame these deficits en route to her four Grand Slam titles 🤯 @espnW
(h / t @BastienFachan) pic.twitter.com/C7LOKcRSFt
– ESPN (@espn) February 20, 2021
“She was like when I took my children to the toy store: they are very excited. And Naomi was excited to go to court with Serena. It’s beautiful to watch, ”Fissette said. “In the end, this is what you train for, right? Being on the biggest stage with the best player of all time, Serena ”.
Outside of the game, Osaka says, it took time to find her voice and express her views.
He was born in Japan to a Japanese mother and a Haitian father, and moved to the United States when he was 3 years old. Last August, she was the first tennis professional to join athletes from other sports in protesting the police shooting of a Black Man in Wisconsin.
“Before I was an athlete,” Osaka tweeted at the time, “I am a black woman.”
On his way to the US Open title in September, Osaka wore masks bearing the names of seven black victims of violence to draw attention to racism and police brutality.
Absolute madness. Number 4 #ausopen pic.twitter.com/cjFNcl7iQH
– Naomi Osaka Naomi Osaka (@naomiosaka) February 20, 2021
On Saturday, Osaka was asked if there was a message she wanted associated with her latest win, which made her 4 of 4 in the Slam finals.
“Honestly, for me, when it all happened in New York, I was very scared, because I felt like it put me in this light that was not an athletic light that I had never been in before,” he said. “So I feel like there are a lot of topics that people suddenly started asking me about that I didn’t know at all. For me, I only like to speak when I am knowledgeable on the subject or at least know, like, a small part of what I’m about to start talking about. So for me, I entered this tournament thinking only about tennis. “
And yet, after winning the trophy, she was also ready to think about a bigger role.
Many saw his victory against Williams as a step from the mantle. Osaka also won their match in the 2018 US Open final, who could forget that one? – and has eclipsed the 39-year-old American as the highest-earning female athlete due to millions in endorsement deals.
But for Osaka, Williams remains, and always will be, an idol and inspiration, a player whose example she wanted to follow.
And the best way to pay for that, Osaka calculates, is to keep that role for others.
“Hopefully I play long enough to play a girl who said I was once her favorite player or something like that,” Osaka said. “For me, I think that’s the coolest thing that can happen to me. … This is how the sport progresses. “
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