Born to Japanese mother and a Haitian father, Naomi Osaka’s family relocated from Japan to the United States when she was just three years old so she and her sister Mari could pursue tennis. Her father took great inspiration from the success of Venus and Serena Williams’ and envisioned a future with such opportunity for his daughters. Instead of competing in junior tournaments, Osaka was again inspired by the Williams’ sisters and began her career on professional satellite tours. Osaka’s professional career began in 2012 when she played her first matches in the ITF Circuit. In 2015, she competed in her first Grand Slam tournaments at Wimbledon and the US Open.

Although she was defeated in the tournaments, Osaka’s career continued advancing quickly. In 2016 and 2017, Osaka competed in the US Open and reached the round of 32.  Also in 2017, Osaka joined the Japanese Fed Cup Team. In 2018, she defeated Heather Watson 6-2, 6-3 in the first round at the tournament. She was a member again in 2020.

Osaka’s career took off in 2018. She finished the year ranked world No. 5 and won her first WTA Tour title and her first Grand Slam tournament title all in one year, with victories at Indian Wells and the US Open. At the US Open, Osaka defeated her childhood idol Serena Williams in the finals 6-2, 6-4. The following year, Osaka kicked off the year with another major trophy, winning the 2019 Australian Open, and was the champion at the Toray Pan Pacific Open and China Open. At the China Open, Osaka defeated Ashleigh Barty in the finals—who was ranked at No. 1 at the time— 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. Osaka reached the world No. 1 ranking that year, becoming the first Asian player to have done so. In 2020 was once again victorious in New York, defeating Victoria Azarenka at the US Open. In doing so, she became the 20th woman to win at least three majors in the Open Era. In 2021, Osaka won a second Australian Open title, defeating Serena Williams in the semifinal and Jennifer Brady in the final, 6-4, 6-3. Later that year, Osaka represented Japan at the Tokyo Olympics, where she became the first tennis player ever to light the Olympic cauldron during the Opening Ceremony. Osaka was eliminated in the third round of competition at the Games. After an injury plagued 2022, she announced that she would be taking 2023 off to give birth to her daughter. She returned to the tour in Australia, winning her first match back at Brisbane, and appearing in the main draw of the Australian Open.   

Osaka has made a significant impact off the tennis courts as well. In 2020, she took a publicly active role in efforts to bring awareness to racial and social injustice in United States in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. In 2021, she took an extended break from tennis after the French Open and again after the US Open, citing mental health issues, which resulted in significant public discourse on the topic.

Osaka has become one of the most recognizable athletes in the world today and is the highest paid female athlete of all-time, having earned $57.3 million in endorsements and prize money in 2021, according to Forbes.

Beyond tennis, Osaka is a shrewd businesswoman. In 2021, she started Kinlò, a skin care products company focused on people with melanated, or darker, skin tones. In May 2022, Osaka announced that she was leaving IMG. With her long-time agent Stuart Duguid, Osaka started her own company Evolve, which will manage her business interests.