Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Naomi Osaka

Discover the career path of Naomi Osaka, from the first major opportunity to industry-changing achievements.

Naomi Osaka is a highly successful Japanese professional tennis player, achieving the world No. 1 ranking in women's singles for 25 weeks starting in January 2019, making her the first Asian player to reach this milestone. She has secured seven career singles titles, including four Grand Slam victories: two at the Australian Open and two at the US Open. Notably, she is the first Japanese player ever to win a major singles title, solidifying her place in tennis history.

Sections (3)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

2008: Yonex Racket Sponsorship

Since 2008, the Japanese sporting equipment manufacturer Yonex has supplied Naomi Osaka with rackets. She plays with the Yonex Ezone 98 racket.

October 2011: First Qualifying Match

In October 2011, on her 14th birthday, Naomi Osaka played her first qualifying match on the ITF Women's Circuit.

2012: First Semifinal

In 2012, Naomi Osaka's best result of the season was at a 10k event in Amelia Island, where she lost to her sister in the semifinals.

June 2013: First 25k Level Final

In June 2013, Naomi Osaka reached her first final at the 25k level ITF Circuit event in El Paso, Texas.

September 2013: Turned Professional

In September 2013, shortly before her 16th birthday, Naomi Osaka turned professional and entered her first WTA Tour qualifying draws.

2013: First ITF Final

In 2013, coached by Patrick Tauma, Naomi Osaka reached her first ITF final.

March 2014: Second 25k Level Final

In March 2014, Naomi Osaka reached another final at the 25k level ITF Circuit event in Irapuato, Mexico, securing a victory over her sister Mari.

2014: Training with Harold Solomon's Academy

In 2014, Naomi Osaka spent seven months training at an academy run by Harold Solomon, where she defeated Sam Stosur for her first WTA match win.

2014: WTA Tour Debut

In 2014, Naomi Osaka, at the age of 16, made her WTA Tour debut and gained prominence by defeating former US Open champion Samantha Stosur at the Stanford Classic.

2014: First WTA Main Draw and Upset Victory

In the summer of 2014, Naomi Osaka qualified for her first WTA Tour main draw at the Stanford Classic, upsetting world No. 19, Samantha Stosur.

2015: Rising in Rankings and Exhibition Win

In 2015, Naomi Osaka continued to improve her rankings, reaching two high-level finals and winning the Rising Stars Invitational at the WTA Finals by defeating Caroline Garcia.

2015: First Appearance in a Tournament Below Tour-Level Since 2015

In 2025 at the Madrid Open, after an early loss, Naomi Osaka entered the minor-league Challenger Tour WTA 125 Open de Saint-Malo tournament, marking her first appearance in a tournament below Tour-level since 2015.

2016: First WTA Final

In 2016, Naomi Osaka reached her first WTA final at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo and entered the top 50 of the WTA rankings.

2016: New Coach David Taylor

In 2016, following her loss at the US Open, the Japan Tennis Association helped arrange for David Taylor to be her new coach.

2016: First Career WTA Final at Pan Pacific Open

In 2016, one of the first instances where Naomi Osaka's strategy of winning long rallies proved successful was when she made her first career WTA final at the Pan Pacific Open.

2016: IMG Representation

Since 2016, Naomi Osaka has been represented by the IMG management company.

2017: Switch to Coach Sascha Bajin

After the 2017 season, Naomi Osaka switched coaches to Sascha Bajin, who had previously served as a hitting partner to top players.

2017: Fed Cup Debut for Japan

In 2017, Naomi Osaka made her Fed Cup debut for Japan while the team competed in the Asia/Oceania Zone Group I. Japan won all nine of their rubbers to advance out of their round-robin pool, but lost in the play-off against Kazakhstan.

2018: Breakthrough Season Mental Improvements

In 2018, Naomi Osaka credited improving her mental approach and cutting down on unforced errors for her breakthrough season. She attributed some of these changes to her coach Sascha Bajin.

2018: Hopman Cup Debut

In 2018, Naomi Osaka made her Hopman Cup debut with Yūichi Sugita, marking Japan's first appearance at the tournament since 2001. They lost all three of their ties.

2018: First Tour Title and US Open Win

In 2018, Naomi Osaka won her first Tour title at the Indian Wells Open and defeated Serena Williams in the final of the US Open.

2018: US Open Victory Over Serena Williams

In 2018, Naomi Osaka won her first major title at the US Open, defeating Serena Williams in a match marred by controversy.

2018: Return to the Team

In 2018, with Naomi Osaka absent, Japan defeated Kazakhstan to advance to the 2018 World Group II Play-offs. Osaka returned to the team and won her opening match against Heather Watson. Japan earned promotion to World Group II.

January 2019: Ranked World No. 1

In January 2019, Naomi Osaka was ranked as the world No. 1 in women's singles by the WTA, holding the top ranking for 25 weeks and becoming the first Asian player to achieve this milestone.

2019: Naomi Osaka Ranked World's Number 1

In 2019 Naomi Osaka had a world ranking as number 1

2019: Return to Grass Courts

In 2019, Naomi Osaka returned to grass courts for the first time since 2019 at 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands. She defeated Elise Mertens in the first round and reached the quarterfinals before losing to Bianca Andreescu. At Wimbledon, she lost to Emma Navarro in the second round.

2019: Named to Time 100 List

In 2019, Naomi Osaka was named to the Time 100 list for representing professional tennis well as an excellent role model and a major champion.

2019: Nike Sponsorship

In 2019, Nike became Naomi Osaka's apparel sponsor, replacing Adidas.

2019: Promotion to World Group II

In 2019, after Japan's victory in the 2018 World Group II Play-offs, they earned promotion to World Group II.

2019: Australian Open Win and World No. 1 Ranking

In early 2019, Naomi Osaka won the Australian Open, reaching the world No. 1 ranking for the first time.

2019: Split with Sascha Bajin and Hiring Jermaine Jenkins

Shortly after her 2019 Australian Open title, Naomi Osaka split with Sascha Bajin and hired Jermaine Jenkins to be her new coach from March until October.

2020: Lost in Third Round at Olympics

At the 2020 Olympics, Naomi Osaka lost in the third round.

2020: Hiring Wim Fissette as coach

At the start of the 2020 season Naomi hired Wim Fissette as coach.

2020: Activism and Recognition

In 2020, Naomi Osaka ranked eighth among athletes in endorsement income, becoming the highest-earning female athlete. She supported the Black Lives Matter protests and was named one of the Sports Illustrated Sportspersons of the Year. Also, she was included on Time's list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

2020: Activism in Professional Tennis

In 2020, Naomi Osaka withdrew from the Cincinnati Open to raise awareness for the shooting of Jacob Blake, leading to the postponement of ATP and WTA matches. At the US Open, she wore masks with the names of African Americans killed by police. She also attended protests for the murder of George Floyd.

2020: US Open Victory

In 2020, Naomi Osaka won the US Open, becoming the first player since 1994 to win the women's singles final after coming from a set down.

2020: Renouncing American Citizenship

In 2020, Naomi Osaka, a dual citizen of Japan and the United States, renounced her American citizenship to represent Japan at the Olympics.

January 2021: Brand Ambassador for Tag Heuer and Louis Vuitton

In January 2021, Naomi Osaka was named the brand ambassador for Tag Heuer watches and Louis Vuitton, and she appeared in their Spring-Summer 2021 campaign.

June 2021: Panasonic Brand Ambassador

In June 2021, Panasonic announced the signing of Naomi Osaka as a brand ambassador for the "Panasonic Green Impact" initiative.

2021: Contract with IMG Expired

At the end of 2021, Naomi Osaka's contract with IMG expired, after six years of representation.

2021: Tokyo Olympics

In 2021, Naomi Osaka lit the Olympic cauldron during the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics. Ranked 2nd in the world, she lost in the 3rd round to Markéta Vondroušová.

2021: Miami Open Final

In 2021, Naomi Osaka reached her first final since the 2021 Australian Open at the Miami Open, defeating Belinda Bencic in the semifinals. Ranked 77th, she became the lowest-ranked finalist in the tournament's history but lost to Iga Świątek in the final.

2021: Second Australian Open Title

In 2021, Naomi Osaka won her second Australian Open title, achieving straight-set wins in multiple matches and defeating Jennifer Brady in the final.

2021: First Title Since 2021 Australian Open

Naomi Osaka achieved her first title since the 2021 Australian Open at the WTA 125 Open de Saint-Malo tournament, marking her first tournament victory on clay.

May 2022: Forms Sports Agency, Evolve

In May 2022, Naomi Osaka announced that she and her agent, Stuart Duguid, would form their own sports agency, Evolve, with equity stakes in the new agency.

June 20, 2022: Signed Nick Kyrgios as First Client

On June 20, 2022, Naomi Osaka announced that she had signed Nick Kyrgios as her first client at her new sports agency, Evolve.

September 2022: Return to Professional Tennis

In September 2022, Naomi Osaka returned to professional tennis at the Brisbane International, marking her first professional match since September 2022. She defeated Tamara Korpatsch in the first round but lost to Karolína Plíšková in the second round.

2022: Setting up Evolve Agency

In 2022, Naomi Osaka left IMG to set up her own sports management agency, Evolve, alongside her agent, Stuart Duguid.

2022: Furthest Major Advancement Since 2022 Australian Open

In 2025, Naomi Osaka's advancement to the third round of the Australian Open marked her furthest progression in a major tournament since the 2022 Australian Open.

January 2024: Aimed for Tennis Return

In January 2024, Naomi Osaka had hoped to return to tennis at the Australian Open after giving birth.

September 13, 2024: End of Coaching Relationship with Wim Fissette

On September 13, 2024, Naomi Osaka announced the end of her coaching relationship with Wim Fissette.

September 2024: Patrick Mouratoglou as Coach

In September 2024, Naomi Osaka added Patrick Mouratoglou as her coach.

2024: Paris Olympics First Round Loss

At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Naomi Osaka lost in the first round to Angelique Kerber, who was playing in the final tournament of her career.

2024: Withdrawal from Australian Open

In 2024, Naomi Osaka announced her withdrawal from the Australian Open due to expecting her first child with rapper Cordae. She confirmed she would return for the 2024 Australian Open and announced her return at the 2024 Brisbane International.

2024: Return to Competition

In 2024, Naomi Osaka returned to professional tennis competition after maternity leave.

2025: Auckland Open Final and Australian Open

In 2025, Naomi Osaka reached her first final since 2022 at the Auckland Open but retired due to injury. At the 2025 Australian Open, she advanced to the third round before retiring, improving her ranking to world No. 42.

2025: Coached by Tomasz Wiktorowski

In mid-2025, Naomi Osaka started being coached by Tomasz Wiktorowski, who previously coached Iga Świątek.

January 2026: Withdrawal from the 2026 Australian Open

On January 24, 2026, Naomi Osaka withdrew from the 2026 Australian Open due to an abdominal injury.

2026: Season Start at United Cup 2026

In 2026, Naomi Osaka began her season playing for Japan at the United Cup. She lost to Maria Sakkari of Greece but defeated Katie Swan of Great Britain. Japan ultimately lost at the group stage.