Naomi Osaka’s legacy is secure — even after Australian Open first-round loss

Naomi Osaka was 15 when she finally beat her older sister, Mari, at tennis.

And, as she tells Ben Rothenberg in “Naomi Osaka: Her Journey to Finding Her Power and Her Voice” (Dutton), it felt great. 

“I count it as my best victory ever,” she says. 

When Naomi finally bested Mari, wiping “that obnoxious grin off her face”, it became Osaka’s “inflection point.” 

“Losing to Mari shaped my competitiveness,” she adds. “Growing up, we both pushed each other; she pushed me more than I pushed her, because I kept losing.” 

Born in Osaka, Japan, to a Haitian-American father and Japanese mother, Naomi Osaka has lived in the US since she was 3. 

Inspired by Richard Williams, who taught daughters Venus and Serena to play tennis, Naomi’s father, Leonard, followed suit with her and Mari.

A decade later, Osaka has become known both for her four Grand Slam titles — along with high-profile episodes of anxiety and depression.

In May 2021, she retired from the French Open, withdrew from Wimbledon, and, as reigning champion, bowed out early from the US Open. 

Citing mental health struggles, she called time on her season. “I just had this dark cloud over me . . . and I couldn’t do anything about it,” she tells Rothenberg.

Her decision to quit drew criticism – but it was nothing new. 

After George Floyd’s murder in 2020, Osaka wore black face masks at the US Open featuring names of victims of police brutality, including one for Breonna Taylor, the 26-year-old woman shot dead by police in Louisville in March 2020.

Later, Osaka said she intended to raise “awareness”. 

“It worked,” writes Rothenberg. “One Japanese viewer said she googled ‘Breonna Taylor’, thinking it was an exclusive new fashion designer. 

“When she read Taylor’s story, she was shocked.” 

Another hiatus – a “cool intermission” – came in July 2023 when she gave birth to a daughter. 

This month, Osaka returned to grand slams at the Australian Open but lost in the first round.

“How Naomi will respond to future successes and struggles is yet unknown,” writes Rothenberg. “She could double down or she could walk away. 

“Her legacy as a legend is already secure in the eyes of the public no matter what; seeing herself as worthy can be trickier.”