Naomi Osaka gets her own line of Yonex rackets in collaboration with famous artist Takashi Murakami
Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka now has her own line of custom-made Yonex rackets, which was recently unveiled as part of her collaboration with Japanese contemporary artist Takashi Murakami.
Osaka took to social media for the big reveal of her custom racket. The Japanese expressed her happiness at the partnership with Murakami, claiming she's been a long-time admirer of the artist. She proceeded to call the opportunity to collaborate with Murakami a "dream", while also thanking Yonex for trusting her with their vision.
"Introducing the Naomi Osaka x Takashi Murakami EZONE Racquet so happy with this one, was always an admirer of Takashi so to be able to finally collaborate together is really a dream," Osaka wrote on Instagram.
"Infinite thank you's to Yonex for trusting me with the vision and because this project wouldn't have come to life so amazingly without them."
Osaka's Yonex EZONE 98 racket is embellished with multiple cherry blossom flowers. The racket has the Japanese's first name written in block letters, followed by two symbols: a kangaroo and the Statue of Liberty, which represent the Australian Open and the US Open, the two Grand Slam tournaments she has won.
Osaka's racket also has a symbol of a bear running with a daisy in its hand. The Japanese's racket also sports a golden Yonex logo and text on its neck. In addition to the racket, Osaka also displayed her new custom-made Yonex kit bag, which has a similar design to that of her racket.
Here are a few pictures of Naomi Osaka's new Yonex racket and bag:
The Japanese will likely play with her new racket in the 2021 Western & Southern Open, which will be her only tune-up event prior to this year's US Open.
Naomi Osaka hoping to turn her season around at the US Open
Naomi Osaka has had a topsy-turvy few months. The Japanese won back-to-back hardcourt Grand Slams, at the 2020 US Open and the 2021 Australian Open, beating the best of the best en route to her titles.
But she then pulled out of Roland Garros and Wimbledon in a bid to protect her mental health. She then returned to action at the Tokyo Olympics, where she was surprisingly ousted in the third round by Marketa Vondrousova.
Osaka then withdrew from the WTA 1000 event in Montreal earlier this week. But she is expected to feature in the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, before heading to Flushing Meadows to defend her US Open crown.