Naomi Osaka has used her voice in the most powerful way possible, she's an extremely amazing person: Katie Boulter
British player Katie Boulter recently named Naomi Osaka as one of her idols for the way she is trying to bring about change through her voice. Calling Osaka an 'extremely amazing person', Boulter also expressed admiration for the way the Japanese carries herself both on and off the court.
Boulter, a top 100 player in 2019, is currently ranked 317th in the world. The 24-year-old Brit is quite familiar with Naomi Osaka, having played and lost to the world's highest-earning female athlete on three occasions thus far.
That included a second-round loss at Wimbledon 2018 and a three-set loss in the third round of this year's Gippsland Trophy.
"I'd personally say she's really shown her strength of character through a lot of the stuff that she's done on and off the court," Boulter told the LTA's YouTube channel. "She's used her voice in the most powerful way possible and I think she's an extremely amazing person."
"To be able to do that, and especially from such a young age as well, it's seriously impressive to see that," she added.
The graciousness on and off the court is very important and I think Naomi Osaka has done a tremendous job at that: Katie Boulter
Naomi Osaka has become a global icon over the past year due to her tennis achievements as well as her social activism.
The 23-year-old is among the few players who took a firm stand against racial injustice during the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020. And on the court, Osaka has won the last two Slams she has entered - the 2020 US Open and last month's Australian Open.
Katie Boulter pointed out that Naomi Osaka has already achieved a lot despite being just 23, and claimed that the Japanese's 'graciousness' is something that everyone should try to emulate.
"She's really young," Boulter said. "I think the way she carries herself on and off the court is something that a lot of people can look up to and try and be like because it's definitely what I model myself on."
"The graciousness on and off the court is very important and I think she's done a tremendous job at that," Boulter added.