Tennis: Naomi Osaka, the new boss?
Japanese Naomi Osaka, currently N3 in the world.
DAVID GRAY AFP
Text by: Farid Achache Follow
5 mins
Naomi Osaka is qualified for the final of the Australian Open which will take place on Saturday February 20th.
The Japanese easily dominated, Thursday, February 18, Serena Williams in two sets quickly shipped (6-3, 6-4).
She will be aiming against American Jennifer Brady for a fourth Grand Slam coronation.
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She was only 20 when she already amazed her world in the US Open final.
It was in 2018. The Japanese had held the shock against the great Serena Williams.
Naomi Osaka won her
first Grand Slam
.
This time, in the shoes of the favorite, Osaka held her rank perfectly by breaking the quest of Serena Williams, 39, for a historic 24th Grand Slam coronation in the semi-finals of the Australian Open, Thursday 18 February in Melbourne.
Osaka, third in the world, will be aiming for a fourth major trophy against American newcomer Jennifer Brady.
“
I was nervous and I was scared at the start of the game,”
said Osaka.
It's always an honor to play against her and I didn't want it to go too badly.
She continues: "
When I was little, I watched her play, and just being on the court facing her is a dream for me.
"
Shy and discreet, until George Floyd died
Osaka looks more and more like the patron saint of the women's circuit.
Every time the ex-world number one has reached the knockout stages in a Grand Slam, she has systematically triumphed.
It's happened three times so far, at the 2018 and 2020 US Open, and at
the 2019 Australian Open
.
Of the six trophies that have garnished its record since its revelation in 2018, half relate to major tournaments.
“
I wanted to be the first Japanese person to win a Grand Slam.
It was my goal.
Of course, it's gratifying to see your name on a trophy, on a wall, but I think bigger than that now,
”she said after her victory over Serena Williams.
Born in Osaka, Japan, to a Haitian father and a Japanese mother, Naomi Osaka has lived in the United States since the age of 3.
Until the death of
George Floyd
in 2020, Naomi Osaka, shy and discreet, did not speak about her origins.
But the images of the violent arrest of this black man at the hands of white police officers, in the city of Minneapolis in Minnesota, brought the young woman out of her reserve.
“
No more shyness.
I should have shared my opinions more often
, ”she said at the time.
At each match of the US Open 2020, the player decided to wear a mask (against the coronavirus) with the name of an African-American victim who died as a result of racist violence or killed by the police.
Osaka is actively calling for support of the Black Lives Matter ("Black Lives Matter") movement and protest in the United States and around the world.
She rejects outright the idea that athletes should not get involved in politics.
Its commitment, made in a struggle for social and civic rights, has greatly contributed to the construction of its public image.
A tackle to Yoshiro Mori, former prime minister
A few days ago, Naomi Osaka also did not fail to react to the sexist remarks of Yoshiro Mori, former Prime Minister aged 83, president of the organizing committee of the Olympic Games in Tokyo, who had to resign.
Yoshiro Mori had argued that "
boards of directors with a lot of women take a lot of time
".
According to Yoshiro Mori, the women present had "
difficulty finishing
" their interventions, which is "
annoying
".
“
I think that's really an ignorant's statement.
People who make this type of statement should find out what they are talking about,
”replied the player at a press conference, two days before the start of the Australian Open.
Naomi Osaka on Thursday welcomed the appointment of former Olympic Minister Seiko Hashimoto as head of the organizing committee for the Tokyo Olympic Games in place of Yoshiro Mori.
Highest-paid player on the circuit
In 2020, Naomi Osaka was the highest paid tennis player on the women's circuit with notably juicy advertising contracts.
Sports Illustrated
magazine
had included her among the militant athletes, alongside basketball player Lebron James.
Naomi Osaka has also invested in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), the premier division of North American women's soccer.
North Carolina Courage announced last January that the tennis star had become a shareholder in the team.
"
It's because of the women who invested in me when I was young that I am who I am today, and I can't imagine what my life would have been like without them
," Osaka said in a statement.
My investment in the North Carolina Courage goes beyond the team.
I invest in amazing women, role models and leaders who inspire all young athletes.
"
Today, Naomi Osaka, the first Asian woman to have occupied the place of world No. 1 in singles, is panicking social networks with two million subscribers on her Instagram account.
Its notoriety now exceeds the perimeter of tennis courts.
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