Naomi Osaka is one of the most marketable athletes in the world right now. Besides being hugely successful on the tennis court, the former world no.1 has an intriguing personality that is also the result of her 3 ethnicities.
Naomi has a Japanese mother, a Haitian father, and she spent most of her life in the United States. According to Naomi, that may confuse many people. It is also not common to have a Japanese “of color”, and Naomi is quite aware (and proud) of that.
During a recent interview with Vogue Magazine, she revealed that she is quite aware of the fact that people struggle to identify her.
She commented:
“I think I confuse people, because some people label me, and they expect me to stick to that label. Since I represent Japan, some people just expect me to be quiet and maybe only speak about Japanese topics. I consider myself Japanese-Haitian-American.
I always grew up with a little bit more Japanese heritage and culture, but I’m Black, and I live in America, and I personally didn’t think it was too far-fetched when I started talking about things that were happening here. There are things going on here that really scare me.”
Naomi Osaka in 2020
Now the world no.3, Naomi played her last match on the 12th of September when she defeated Victoria Azarenka 1-6 6-3 6-3 in the final of the U.S. Open to win her 6th career title.
This year Osaka has achieved a composed 16-3 match record. Osaka conquered 1 title at the U.S. Open. The Japanese was the finalist in New York.
