History of Naomi Osaka in Timeline
Naomi Osaka is a prominent Japanese professional tennis player. She achieved the world No. 1 ranking in women's singles for 25 weeks, a historic first for an Asian player. Her accomplishments include seven WTA Tour-level singles titles, notably four Grand Slam titles, with two wins each at the Australian Open and the US Open. Osaka is celebrated as the first Japanese player to ever win a major singles title, marking a significant milestone in her career and for Japanese tennis.
1994: US Open women's singles final
In 2020, Osaka became the first player to win a US Open women's singles final by coming from a set down since 1994.
1995: Kimiko Date's Pan Pacific Open final appearance
In 1995, Kimiko Date contested the final at the Pan Pacific Open before Osaka made her breakthrough at the Premier-level Pan Pacific Open.
October 16, 1997: Naomi Osaka Born
On October 16, 1997, Naomi Osaka, a Japanese professional tennis player, was born. She would later achieve the world No. 1 ranking and win multiple Grand Slam titles.
1999: Inspired by Williams Sisters
In 1999, Osaka's father, François, was inspired to teach his daughters how to play tennis after watching the Williams sisters compete at the French Open. He emulated Richard Williams' training plan.
2001: Jennifer Capriati
In 2001, Jennifer Capriati was the first player to follow up her first Grand Slam singles title with another at the next such event, a feat Osaka also achieved.
2008: Racket Sponsorship with Yonex
Since 2008, the Japanese sporting equipment manufacturer Yonex has supplied Naomi Osaka with rackets. She plays with the Yonex Ezone 98 racket, equipped with Polytour Pro 125 and Rexis 130 strings.
October 2011: First Qualifying Match
In October 2011, Naomi Osaka played her first qualifying match on the ITF Women's Circuit on her 14th birthday, marking the beginning of her professional tennis career.
2012: Lost to Sister in Semifinals
In 2012, Osaka's best result of the season was at a $10k event in Amelia Island, where she lost to her sister Mari in the semifinals.
June 2013: First $25K Level Final
In June 2013, Naomi Osaka reached her first $25K level final at a tournament in El Paso, Texas, marking a significant milestone in her early professional career.
September 2013: Turned Professional
In September 2013, Naomi Osaka turned professional shortly before her 16th birthday, marking a significant step in her tennis career.
2013: Reached First ITF Final
In 2013, Naomi Osaka, coached by Patrick Tauma, reached her first ITF final after she began playing on the ITF Women's Circuit.
March 2014: Final in Irapuato, Mexico
In March 2014, Naomi Osaka reached another $25K level final in Irapuato, Mexico. The event included a victory over her sister, Mari Osaka.
2014: WTA Tour Main Draw Debut
In 2014, Naomi Osaka qualified for her first WTA Tour main draw at the Stanford Classic, where she upset world No. 19 Samantha Stosur. She also won a match as a wildcard at the Japan Women's Open.
2014: Training with Harold Solomon
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.
2015: Rising Stars Invitational Champion
In 2015, Osaka reached two high-level finals and won the Rising Stars Invitational, defeating Caroline Garcia. She also reached the final of the WTA 125 Hua Hin Championships.
2015: Serena Williams
Naomi Osaka was the first woman to win consecutive major singles titles since Serena Williams in 2015.
2016: New Coach David Taylor
Following her loss at the 2016 US Open, the Japan Tennis Association helped arrange for David Taylor to become Naomi Osaka's new coach.
2016: Represented by IMG Management
Since 2016, Naomi Osaka has been represented by the IMG management company.
2017: Switched coaches to 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: Hired Sascha Bajin as coach
Following her lack of improvement in 2017, Osaka hired Sascha Bajin as her coach in the off-season.
2017: Fed Cup debut for Japan
In 2017, Naomi Osaka made her Fed Cup debut for Japan. During the 2017 competition, the team won all nine of their rubbers to advance out of their round-robin pool. Though Osaka won her singles match in the play-off against Kazakhstan, the team lost their other two matches and was not able to advance.
2018: Fed Cup competition
In 2018, Japan defeated Kazakhstan in the Fed Cup to advance to the 2018 World Group II Play-offs, Osaka was absent. In this stage, Japan hosted Great Britain, Osaka returned to the team and won her opening match against Heather Watson. After she lost her next rubber to Johanna Konta, Kurumi Nara also defeated Watson to set up a decisive doubles match. Japan won that final rubber to earn promotion to World Group II.
2018: Hopman Cup Debut
In 2018, Naomi Osaka made her Hopman Cup debut with Yūichi Sugita, marking Japan's first appearance at the exhibition tournament since 2001. During the competition in 2018, the team was grouped with Switzerland, the United States, and Russia, losing all three ties. Osaka secured her only match win in singles against Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and notably served an ace past Roger Federer in a mixed doubles match against Switzerland.
2018: Sascha Bajin Named WTA Coach of the Year
In 2018, Naomi Osaka won her first Premier Mandatory title and two Grand Slam singles titles with Sascha Bajin as her coach. Bajin was named the inaugural WTA Coach of the Year.
2018: US Open Victory
In 2018, Naomi Osaka won the US Open, defeating Serena Williams in the final. This victory marked her first major title, though the match was marred by controversy.
2018: Lived with depression since US Open
Since the 2018 US Open, Naomi Osaka has been living with depression.
2019: Promotion to World Group II
In 2019, Japan earned promotion to World Group II in the Fed Cup after winning a decisive doubles match against Great Britain in the 2018 World Group II Play-offs.
2019: Began relationship with Cordae
In 2019, Naomi Osaka began a relationship with American rapper Cordae.
2019: Second Highest-Paid Female Athlete
In 2019, Naomi Osaka earned an estimated $16 million in endorsements, placing her second among female athletes behind Serena Williams.
2019: Named to Time 100
Naomi Osaka was named to the Time 100 most influential people in the world in 2019, for representing professional tennis well and being an excellent role model.
2019: Split with Sascha Bajin
Shortly after her 2019 Australian Open title, Naomi Osaka split with Sascha Bajin and hired Jermaine Jenkins as her new coach from March until October. She temporarily replaced him with her father in September.
2019: Apparel Sponsorship with Nike
Since 2019, Nike has been Naomi Osaka's apparel sponsor, replacing Adidas. Osaka has a clothing collection with Nike featuring her monogram logo.
2020: Lost in third round at Olympics
At the 2020 Olympics, Naomi Osaka lost in the third round.
2020: Hired Wim Fissette as coach
At the start of the 2020 season, Naomi Osaka hired Wim Fissette as her coach.
2020: Highest-Paid Female Athlete of All Time
In 2020, Naomi Osaka became the highest-paid female athlete of all time, earning $37.4 million, including $34 million in endorsements. She was the 29th highest-paid athlete overall and 8th highest-paid in endorsements alone.
2020: Second US Open Title
In 2020, Naomi Osaka won her second US Open title, defeating Victoria Azarenka in the final after coming from a set down. She skipped the French Open due to a hamstring injury.
2020: Activism in Professional Tennis
Naomi Osaka became a leading activist in professional tennis in 2020. Her decision to withdraw from the 2020 Cincinnati Open to raise awareness for the police shooting of Jacob Blake led to the tournament's postponement. At the 2020 US Open, she wore masks displaying the names of African Americans killed, highlighting Breonna Taylor, Elijah McClain, Ahmaud Arbery, Trayvon Martin, George Floyd, Philando Castile, and Tamir Rice.
2020: Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year
Naomi Osaka was named a 2020 Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year for her activism alongside LeBron James, Breanna Stewart, Patrick Mahomes, and Laurent Duvernay-Tardif.
January 2021: Brand Ambassador Roles
In January 2021, Naomi Osaka was named the brand ambassador for Tag Heuer watches and Louis Vuitton, appearing in their Spring-Summer 2021 campaign.
February 2021: Manga Series Debut
Naomi Osaka was featured as the main character in a manga series published by Kodansha in Nakayoshi in February 2021. The series is drawn by Futago Kamikita and made with the help of Osaka's sister Mari. The first edition appeared in the February 2021 issue of the magazine, which was released in December 2020.
March 2021: Spoke out against anti-Asian hate crimes
In March 2021, Naomi Osaka spoke out against anti-Asian hate crimes.
May 2021: Refused press conferences and withdrew from French Open
In May 2021, Naomi Osaka refused to take part in required press conferences during the French Open and was fined $15,000 and threatened with expulsion from the tournament. She later withdrew from the event to restore her mental health and well-being.
June 2021: Panasonic Brand Ambassador
In June 2021, Panasonic announced Naomi Osaka as a brand ambassador. She is a promoter of the "Panasonic Green Impact" initiative alongside Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps and Olympic figure skater Nathan Chen.
September 2021: Lost at US Open and took indefinite break
In September 2021 at the US Open, Naomi Osaka lost to Leylah Fernandez. During the match, she threw her racket three times and received a code violation. She then announced she was taking an indefinite break from the sport.
2021: Became co-owner of North Carolina Courage
In 2021, Naomi Osaka became a co-owner of the North Carolina Courage in the National Women's Soccer League.
2021: Withdrew from French Open
In 2021, Naomi Osaka withdrew before 2nd round at the French Open.
2021: Second Australian Open Title
In 2021, Naomi Osaka won her second Australian Open title, defeating Jennifer Brady in the final. She became one of only three players in the Open Era to win her first four Grand Slam finals.
2021: Contract with IMG expired
Naomi Osaka's contract with IMG expired at the end of 2021, after six years of representation.
February 2022: Bitconnect Lawsuit Ruling
In February 2022, the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in a lawsuit against Bitconnect that the Securities Act of 1933 extends to targeted solicitation using social media.
May 2022: Formed sports agency Evolve
In May 2022, Naomi Osaka announced that she and her agent, Stuart Duguid, would form their own sports agency, Evolve.
May 2022: Osaka feels content with mental health journey
In a May 2022 interview, Naomi Osaka said that while there have been ups and downs, she feels very content with her mental health journey.
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.
2022: Launched Hana Kuma
In 2022, Naomi Osaka and Stuart Duguid launched Hana Kuma, a media and production company.
2022: Established Evolve Sports Management Agency
In 2022, Naomi Osaka left IMG to establish her own sports management agency, Evolve, alongside her agent, Stuart Duguid.
January 2023: Revealed pregnancy
In January 2023, Naomi Osaka revealed that she was pregnant with her first child with Cordae, not long after withdrawing from the Australian Open.
July 7, 2023: Welcomed a healthy girl
On July 7, 2023, Naomi Osaka and Cordae welcomed a healthy baby girl.
2023: Hana Kuma spun off independently
In 2023, Hana Kuma spun off independently after a $5 million fundraising round.
January 2024: Hoped return to tennis
In January 2024, Naomi Osaka hoped to return to tennis for the Australian Open.
September 13, 2024: Ended coaching relationship with Wim Fissette
On September 13, 2024, Naomi Osaka announced the end of her coaching relationship with Wim Fissette.
September 2024: Osaka Adds Patrick Mouratoglou as Coach
In September 2024, Naomi Osaka added Patrick Mouratoglou as her coach.
2024: Hana Kuma partnership with LPGA
In 2024, Hana Kuma announced a partnership with the LPGA to create a brand building programme for female golfers.
January 6, 2025: Split with Cordae
On January 6, 2025, Naomi Osaka announced that she and Cordae were no longer in a relationship, but there was "no bad blood" and that he is a "great person" and "awesome dad."
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