Naomi Osaka is about to play her 4h slam final on Saturday at the Australian Open, where she will face Jennifer Brady for the title. The Japanese sensation is becoming more and more the face of the WTA tour. Naomi is widely considered the heiress of Serena Williams and her multi-ethnical upbringing makes her one of the most marketable athletes on the globe.
Bio, family, sister, and boyfriend
Naomi was born on the 16th of October 1997, in Chūō-ku (Osaka) in Japan to Tamaki Osaka and Leonard François. She has an older sister named Mari. Her mother is from Sapporo (Hokkaido), while her father is from Jacmel (Haiti).
Naomi’s parents met when her father traveled to Hokkaido while attending a college in New York. They used to date secretly for many years as in that part of Japan there used to be the belief of keeping Japan “pure” from the foreigners.
Therefore, Tamaki was estranged by her family for more than 10 years until 2006. Naomi moved to the US when she was 3 years old, and it was her father to coach and homeschooling her and her sister while the mother was working to support the family from a financial point of view.
Boyfriend
Naomi has been dating for almost 2 years her boyfriend Cordae that is an upcoming American rapper. Naomi and Cordae share many interests together. Among them they are very supportive of the black community. Last summer, soon after the killing of George Floyd, they took the streets to protest against police brutality.
Coach
Osaka’s father used to coach Naomi and her sister Mari since they were quite young. He was inspired by the example of Serena and Venus Williams’ father. However, Naomi has often expressed her will to partner with other coaches so as to evolve her game. The world no.3 had a fantastic partnership with Sascha Bajin that was pivotal in helping her to win the first US Open (2018) and the Australian Open (2019).
Soon after conquering her 2nd slam, Naomi fired Sascha for “mysterious reasons” to partner with Jermaine Jenkins. Things didn’t go well with the new coach, and Naomi parted ways with the American after she lost at the 2019 US Open.
Her father temporarily took on the role of a coach before Naomi hire Wim Fissette. Things went really well with the Belgian coach. Thanks also for his huge experience. Wim has previously coached top players such as Victoria Azarenka, Kim Clijsters, Simona Halep, Angelique Kerber, and Johanna Konta. With Fissette, Naomi won her 2nd US Open title, and she is now in the final of the Australian Open.
Net worth and Prize Money
As anticipated, Naomi is one of the most marketable athletes in the world. According to Forbes, she was the highest-paid female athlete in 2020, having pocketed $37.4M. Up to now, she has earned US$ 17,770,234 in prize money. As per Celebrity Net Worth, Naomi Osaka had an approximate net worth of $25 million in 2020
Osaka at the Australian Open, ranking, and results in 2021
Currently the world no.3, Osaka has achieved a 9-0 record in 2021. The Japanese is now competing at the Australian Open where she defeated Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-1 6-2, Caroline Garcia 6-2 6-3, Ons Jabeur 6-3 6-2, Garbine Muguruza 4-6 6-4 7-5, Su-Wei Hsieh 6-2 6-2 and Serena Williams 6-3 6-4.
Naomi Osaka will play Brady in the final. Their actual record is 2-1 for Osaka.
Osaka won 6 titles in her career: all of them conquered on hard courts. (See the list of her titles)
Brady at the Australian Open, ranking, and results in 2021
Ranked world no.24 (career-high), Jennifer achieved a 9-2 win-loss record in 2021. Jennifer is currently playing at the Australian Open where she defeated Aliona Bolsova 6-1 6-3, Madison Brengle 6-1 6-2, Kaja Juvan 6-1 6-3, Donna Vekic 6-1 7-5, Jessica Pegula 4-6 6-2 6-1 and Karolina Muchova 6-4 3-6 6-4.
Jennifer Brady will play Osaka in the final. Their head to head is 2-1 for Osaka.
Naomi Osaka and Jennifer Brady faced off just twice. Their actual record is 2-0 for Osaka. Previously, the last time they locked horns, Naomi Osaka won 7-6(1) 3-6 6-3 in the semifinal in New York (U.S. Open) in September 2020.
In the video below you can watch the highlights.
