Naomi Osaka—Already The Highest-Paid Women’s Athlete—Wins Australian Open

Topline

Japan’s Naomi Osaka powered past American Jennifer Brady in straight sets on Saturday in the championship match of the 2021 Australian Open, as Osaka secured her fourth title in her past eight appearances at Grand Slam events.

Key Facts

Crucial Quote: 

“She’s such an inspiration to us all, and what she’s doing for the game is amazing in getting the sport out there,” said Brady, “I hope young girls at home are watching and inspired by what she’s doing.”

Surprising Fact:

Remarkably, Osaka is undefeated in major finals (4-0) and a combined 12-0 in the quarterfinals, semifinals and finals of Grand Slam events. Her four major titles rank third among all active players, behind only the Williams sisters, Serena (23) and Venus (7). 

Key Background:

Osaka was born in Japan to a Japanese mother and a Haitian-American father. The family moved to the United States when Naomi was 3. Under Japan’s Nationality Act, individuals who hold dual citizenship must choose one before their 22nd birthday. In October of 2019, a week before turning 22, Osaka gave up her U.S. citizenship to represent Japan in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo (which ended up being postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic). In 2020, Osaka earned a whopping $37.4 million from prize money and endorsements. According to Forbes, this represented an all-time earnings record for a female athlete in a single year, breaking the record previously by Maria Sharapova, who earned $29.7 million in 2015. “To those outside the tennis world, Osaka is a relatively fresh face with a great back story,” David Carter, a sports business professor at USC’s Marshall School of Business, told Forbes. “Combine that with being youthful and bicultural, two attributes that help her resonate with younger, global audiences, and the result is the emergence of a global sports marketing icon.”

Tangent:

In the semifinals on Thursday, Osaka knocked off Serena Williams, who is still searching for her record-tying 24th Grand Slam singles title. Osaka also defeated Williams, 39, in the controversial 2018 US Open final. “I don’t know if there’s any little kids out here today, but I was a little kid watching her play,” Osaka said about Williams, after Thursday’s match, adding “just to be on the court playing against her, for me, is a dream.”

What To Watch For:

The 2021 Australian Open Men’s final will take place Sunday (7:30 p.m. local time, 3:30 a.m. ET). Top-seeded Novak Djokovic, who is chasing his 18th career Grand Slam title, will take on No. 4 seed Daniil Medvedev, who will be appearing in his second major final.

Big Number:

$2.1 million: That’s the prize money Osaka was awarded for winning the Australian Open on Saturday.

Further Reading:

Naomi Osaka Is The Highest-Paid Female Athlete Ever (Forbes) 

Serena Williams Vs. Naomi Osaka: By The Numbers (Forbes)