KOLUMN Magazine celebrates the lives of People of Color by…
With two Grand Slam wins in the past year, Naomi Osaka has shot to No. 1 in the rankings but offered few clues about what makes her tick. Williams & Hirakawa for ESPN. Featured Image
She was 20 years old. She had first picked up a racket when she was 3. But she’d avoided the sport’s junior circuit, and before winning her first WTA title last March at Indian Wells, the toughest opponent she’d ever defeated was her older sister, Mari.
Osaka was a mystery. Some saw an awkward noob, unused to the klieg lights. Others saw a sheltered woman whose personality and opinions appeared unformed. Beyond her being the daughter of a Haitian father and a Japanese mother, little was known about her. She was a cipher with a racket.
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