"I feel like this is really my strength, being unique" - Naomi Osaka on her Japanese-Haitian heritage
Naomi Osaka embraced her mixed heritage as she graced the summer issue of Dazed magazine.
Clad in outfits that represented her Japanese culture, Osaka said that she considers being unique a strength, while also noting the qualities she gets from both her Japanese and Haitian roots.
The four-time Grand Slam champion's mother, Tamaki, is from Japan while her father, Leonard Francois, is from Haiti. She was born in Osaka, Japan and moved to New York when she was three.
"I feel like this is really my strength: being unique and also having diverse life experiences which have made me more tolerant, accepting and curious. I can feel myself having different characteristics from each parent, which directly reflect the nationalities. I am quite soft-spoken, which is definitely from my Japanese side, but I think my fierce competitiveness comes from my Haitian side," Osaka said.
In an Instagram post, Osaka said she always wanted to do a fashion shoot that showcased her diverse background.
"I’ve always wanted to do a fashion centered shoot that incorporated my different cultures and to see it come to life is beyond cool," Osaka wrote.
In a different post by Play Academy Naomi, a program created by Osaka that aims to change girls’ lives through play and sport, the former World No. 1 shed light on the obstacles she faces as a Japanese-Haitian.
The 24-year-old said that she loved how she grew up and that she would not change anything about herself.
"As a person, you're going to face a lot of ignorant people no matter what. But for me, I love how I grew up. I wouldn't have changed anything. I wouldnt have changed my parents or anything like that," said Naomi Osaka.
"It's kind of just about about loving who you are and embracing who you are. I would say I gained more, if anything. Definitely went through some stuff but I would say at the end of the day, the love that I have for my culture surpasses anything else," she added.
Naomi Osaka joins Iga Swiatek, four former champions in Wimbledon entry list
Naomi Osaka is on the Wimbledon entry list despite earlier saying that she might skip the tournament which was stripped of ranking points due to its ban on Russian and Belarusian tennis players.
Osaka withdrew from the grasscourt Major last year to protect her mental health after laying bare her struggles with depression and anxiety.
Newly minted French Open champion and World No. 1 Iga Swiatek leads the pack alongside former Wimbledon champions Simona Halep (2019), Angelique Kerber (2018), Garbine Muguruza (2017), and Petra Kvitova (2011, 2014).
Other big names on the entry list include Major winners Bianca Andreescu, Sofia Kenin, Barbora Krejcikova and Sloane Stephens. Reigning US Open titleholder Emma Raducanu's participation is in doubt following an injury she sustained on the grass courts of Nottingham on Tuesday.
Former champions Venus Williams and Serena Williams are notable absentees. Roland Garros quarterfinalist Leylah Fernandez will not play as she is nursing a right foot injury she sustained during the claycourt Major.