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Naomi Osaka defeated her childhood idol Serena Williams in a controversial U.S. women's final on Saturday.
With her victory, the 20-year-old became the first Japanese singles player to win a Grand Slam and officially grew to $ 3.8 million after the historic victory.
While the game was scandalized after Williams denounced sexism in his sport, Osaka garnered much attention and admiration from fans in the United States and his home country.
The 5-foot-11 star is the youngest woman in the World Top 20 and the highest ranked player in Japan for more than a decade.
Here are seven things to know about the player on the rise.
Naomi Osaka
Juergen Hasenkopf / BPI / REX / Shutterstock
Double nationality
Although born in Japan, Osaka lived in the United States at the age of three.
"I grew up in New York until the age of 8 or 9, and then moved to Florida," she said earlier.
Although she was mainly raised in the United States, she represents Japan – a decision made by her father Leonard Maxime Francois when his daughter became a professional in 2013.
Osaka's dual citizenship meant she had a choice between playing for one country or another, but Francis chose Japan, thinking it would open up more possibilities.
CONNECTION: The American champion Naomi Osaka could not tell if the crowd was nodding to her: "I felt a little sad"
Family history
Francois was Haitian by birth and one of the few black men in Hokkaido, Japan, where he visited after studying at New York University. Later, he met his wife Tamaki Osaka but their family did not approve of their relationship.
Osaka's father accused him of shaming the family when he learned that she was dating a black stranger, New York Times profile published in August.
The couple moved to Osaka, the second-largest city in Japan and the same name as Tamaki's last name.
"All those who were born in Osaka, their last name is Osaka," Naomi joked with reporters at a press conference open in the United States.
Naomi and her older sister Mari, who is also a professional tennis athlete, took their mother's last name in place of François to assimilate in Japan. "It was mostly a matter of practice when they lived in Japan, useful for enrolling in schools and renting apartments," the family said daily. Time.
Certainly far from being current
Although she can understand Japanese in conversations with family and friends, Osaka has regularly used English to communicate with the media.
"I can understand a lot more Japanese than I can speak. And when I go to Japan, people are confused. From my name, they do not expect to see a black girl, "said Osaka. USA Today Sports in January 2016.
"I never know what to do when asked where I'm from. I just say FL, because to say that Japan is starting a useless conversation, "said Osaka tweeted in may 2017.
Also in it Time interview, she explained why it is important to redefine what it means to be Japanese today.
"It's interesting, I think there is really no one like me, it seems like a challenge from Japan, I've never thought about American competition." [in tennis]. I just thought about playing tennis, "said Osaka to be biracial.
Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams in March 2018
Manuel Mazzanti / NurPhoto / Getty
Following the traces of Serena
At age 20, Osaka was able to wipe out one of her biggest elements: playing (and defeating) her childhood hero, of which she already wrote a Grade 3 report.
The United States not only opened a big market for her, but also her father François, who formed Osaka from the age of 3, and hired coach Sascha Bajin, known to have been Williams's partner for eight years .
François also drew on Richard's father, Richard, to train his two daughters. "The plan was already there. I just had to follow him, "said François Time.
Williams has previously rented Osaka. "She is really young and very aggressive. She is a very good talented player. Very dangerous, "said Williams at the Australian Open in 2016.
Disapproval of the family
After Naomi's mother, Tamaki, separated from her Japanese family when she married and moved with François. After 15 years, after the birth of Mari and Naomi, the family got back in touch and went to Japan to meet, but Tamaki's parents disapproved of the way girls went to school to pursue their tennis career, according to the Time profile.
However, Naomi's status as a rising tennis star caught the attention of her grandparents.
"I was just stunned. I did not expect her to become a champion, "said grandfather Tetsuo to the Japanese newspaper. Asahi Shimbun about Naomi's victory in the United States.
In fact, Naomi called after beating Williams. "She said," I did it, "and I said," You did a good job, "said the 73-year-old, whose family continues to suffer from pain and suffering. unstable energy supply and food shortages. Hokkaido on September 6th.
Naomi will return to Japan to participate in the Panay Pan Pacific Open Tennis Tournament in Tokyo, which will begin on September 17th. Tetsuo plans to travel to Tokyo to cheer on his granddaughter.
Hobbies Off the Court
In addition to being a big fan of Beyoncé, she is also a big fan of video games.
In July, Osaka shared a photo of herself and her sister Mari, aged one year, during the final of the Overwatch League Electronic Sports Tournament, which was held this year. at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
The Overwatch League is a professional tournament organized for the Overwatch video game.
Brilliant future
With a multicultural past and an angry forearm, Osaka is well positioned to become an international celebrity. And she does not plan to slow down anytime soon.
In 2016, she talked about her career goals by telling the BBC: "To be the best, like no one has ever been," jokingly adds, "It's a quote from Pokemon, I'm sorry. This is the Pokemon theme song.
And when asked why she had so many fans cheering for the Australian Open the same year, she explained, "Probably because they think I'm interesting." It may be because they can not really identify who I am, so it's like everyone can comfort me.
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