Naomi Osaka won the US Open, taking down 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams in the final on Saturday, 6-2, 6-4. Osaka, 20, is the first Haitian Japanese American to win a Grand Slam, and she did it by beating one of the absolute best.
Naomi Osaka was born in Chūō-ku, Osaka to a Haitian father, Leonard “San” François, and a Japanese mother, Tamaki Osaka.. if Naomi can beat Serena Williams at the tender age of 20, her best and brightest days are definitely still ahead of her. I’m sure there’s a lot more to see from her in the years to follow. It’s already happening, Osaka has reportedly signed one of the largest Adidas contracts in history.
Osaka says she’s received some backlash for her biracial heritage. Japan has just 5% mixed-race citizens who are known as hāfus, which describes a person with one Japanese parent and one non-Japanese parent.
“I can understand way more Japanese than I can speak, and when I go to Japan people are confused, from my name, they don’t expect to see a black girl,” she explained to USA Today. “It’s interesting. I feel there’s not really anybody like me.”
Osaka says she’s just focused on following in the footsteps of her role model Serena Williams, who she beat in a controversial match at the 2018 U.S. Open. Williams has called Osaka talented and a “very dangerous” opponent.
She says that years of hard work and training prepared her for the match.
SOURCE: Now This News
