Li Na, the strongest Asian female player after her, happy birthday!

“In recent years, I built up a fear of being misinterpreted, so I started to isolate myself. As a present for turning 28, I have chosen to try to overcome this fear.”

Naomi Osaka expressed this recently on her social platform, marking her 28th birthday this week; the Japanese star was born on October 16, 1997.

As a mixed-race player, Naomi Osaka possesses excellent physical attributes. Her height of 1.8 meters breaks the mold of traditionally shorter Japanese female tennis players, and her aggressive playing style often leaves opponents struggling to defend.

Starting tennis at age 3 and turning professional at 15, Osaka ultimately decided to represent Japan in professional tournaments. She quickly rose as a promising star in the tennis world, reaching the third round in singles at the Australian Open, French Open, and US Open in 2016, earning her the WTA’s Best Newcomer award that year.

Osaka’s true breakthrough came in the 2018 season. At the Indian Wells Open early that year, she shocked the tennis world by defeating top players including Sharapova and Halep to claim her first career singles title.

Also in 2018, at the US Open, Osaka reached the women’s singles final and defeated the legendary Serena Williams, becoming the first Japanese player in history to win a Grand Slam singles title.

Following that, Osaka went on to win four Grand Slam singles titles: the 2019 Australian Open, 2020 US Open, and 2021 Australian Open, making her the Asian player with the most Grand Slam singles championships to date.

Just as the world anticipated a new dominant force in tennis, Osaka announced her pregnancy in 2022 and gave birth to a daughter in 2023, only returning to competition last year at the Brisbane International.

However, tennis is harsh, and not all players can return post-pregnancy and immediately win Grand Slams like Kim Clijsters. In the 2024 season, Osaka exited in the first round of the Australian Open, the second round of Wimbledon and the US Open, and retired due to injury in the fourth round of last year’s China Open against Gauff, ending her season early.

In the 2025 season, Osaka finally reached her first WTA tour singles final since returning, at the WTA 250 Auckland event, but had to retire while leading 6-4 in the first set due to injury, settling for runner-up.

Nevertheless, Osaka’s overall performance this year has been commendable, especially at this year’s US Open, where she defeated several top players including Gauff to reach the semifinals before losing to Anisimova in a comeback.

At the new stage of her life at 28, carrying multiple roles, Naomi Osaka continues to move forward. Do you think she still has a chance to win her fifth Grand Slam singles title?(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Barbie)