Dane Sweeny's

Naomi Osaka has lately been the talk of the town for her thrilling international matches across the globe. The 23-year old Japanese professional tennis player has already been ranked No. 1 by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA). However, she has come a long way to actually receive this honour.

It all began with her father’s influence, who was in turn inspired by our beloved Williams sisters. Naomi’s father had never played tennis in his life before. However, when he watched Williams sisters at the 1999 French Open, he decided to train his daughters, just like Richard Williams (father of Williams sisters).

After this, there was no looking back for Naomi and her sister, Mari. Having learnt the basics from her father, Naomi then sought her training at different tennis academies over the years.

She never really participated in many major junior tournaments. After playing few ones, she directly went to compete at the ITF Women’s Circuit at 14. Next year, she also debuted in the doubles with her sister, Mari. 

Further, her professional career began in September 2013. She earned victories at WTA tours at the Challenge Bell, Pan Pacific Open, 2014 Stanford Classic, and Japan Women’s Open which rose her rank into the top 250 players of the world. 

Once she became a professional, she won several other titles and improved her rank rapidly. She was now so good at her game that she even defeated Serena Williams in the 2018 US Open. 

Apart from being a remarkable tennis player, Naomi is also an activist. She is seen showcasing her support for the Black Lives Matter movement. In 2019 and 2020, she was even named among Time’s 100 most influential people globally.