Six Times Grand Slam Champion Naomi Osaka Made Headlines

Naomi Osaka has recently been seen in the headlines for the French Open exit when she faced backlash over the media boycott. The 23-year-old tennis player has won four Grand Slam titles in her career beating the champions of the field.

The four-time Grand Slam winner, Naomi Osaka, recently has made it to the headlines for speaking up about her mental health being affected by both, the fame and outrage, she received because of her popularity.

In recent news, she tried to boycott the media appearance during the French Open which led to a spat between her and the tournament organisers and eventually resulting in her shocking exit from the tournament.

When Osaka shared that her decision to avoid press conferences was to safeguard her mental many criticised her for it. It was considered brave of the tennis player by some to address the taboo openly and to acknowledge the pressures of competition as a sportsperson and its ill-effects on their mental health.

Here are six times Naomi Osaka made it to headlines:

1. Naomi Osaka to co-chair Met Gala 2021

The tennis player will be co-chairing annual fundraiser for The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Met Gala 2021 alongside fashion icons Timothee Chalamet, Billie Eilish and poet Amanda Gorman. The event is scheduled to take place on September 13. Despite being inexperienced in the field, Naomi has made interesting fashion choices which led her up to the cover story of Vogue in January 2021 in a black and white slip dress. She tweeted that she is excited to see Rihanna at Met Gala.

If I see Rihanna ima pass out.

— NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) May 3, 2021

2. Naomi against Asian hate

Back in February, Naomi took it to Twitter to condemn the increased practice of Asian hate in the US. “Imagine profiting/enjoying things that come from a culture and then attacking/diminishing the ethnic group that created it.” She said in her tweet. She was concerned about the fact that Asian crime were not being addressed and discussed more. She urged the people to stop such practices and respect the Asian community just as much.

3. Serena Williams row during Osaka's first Grand Slam win

While the player won the first major title of her career, her win was booed by the audience for the way that the game had been officiated after which Naomi apologised for her historical win. “I know that everyone was cheering for , and I’m sorry it had to end like this,” she said in her post-match interview.

Williams was penalised by the chair umpire for three violations after which point was awarded to Osaka leading the game 5-3.

4. Naomi wears mask in the memory of Breonna Taylor

During the US Open tournament in August 2020, Osaka wore a mask in the memory of Breonna Taylor, a black woman who was shot by the police. It was one of the seven masks Naomi had decided to wear in honour of different victims of racial attacks. She defeated Misaki Doi of Japan in first round of the US Open Tennis tournament.

5. Tokyo Olympics 2020 Head resignation

The four-time Grand Slam champion accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori as the head of Tokyo Olympics 2020 organising committee after he made some sexist remarks. He was replaced by Japan’s Olympics Minister Seiko Hashimoto, a woman who was named after the Olympic flame.

“I feel like it’s really good because you’re pushing forward, barriers are being broken down, especially for females.” Naomi said in a press conference referring to the resignation and appointment of a female head.

6. The butterfly moment

During the Australian Open Championship 2021, Naomi Osaka encountered an unusual fan in the middle of her match with Tunisian Ons Jabeur. Someone from the audience spotted and told Naomi about a butterfly on her leg.

She gently escorted the butterfly out of the court and resumed with the fourth round of the championship winning against her opponent. The butterfly was spotted on the player’s leg, arms and face during the encounter.  Women's Tennis Association went on Twitter to capture thiws beautiful moment.

.@naomiosaka's new good luck charm? 🦋😊#AO2021pic.twitter.com/hk82DKQ9cL

— wta (@WTA) February 12, 2021