Naomi Osaka has gotten used to her No.1 ranking and the fact that every day brings new surprises and honors — keys to the Miami-Dade County and an artistic photoshoot for Vogue are just the latest in the series.
After her rollercoaster 6-0 6-7(3) 6-1 victory over Yanina Wickmayer in the second round of the Miami Open, the Florida-based Japanese was handed the symbolic keys to the Miami-Dade County by the Miami-Dade County Commissioner Jean Monestime and Florida State Senator Oscar Braynon Junior. The 21-year-old’s reaction?
Tough match today, silver lining is somehow got a key to the city? Miami I love you, but wyd??? ????????????
The two-time Grand Slam champion is also in the April issue of Vogue magazine. The interview, conducted in Boca Raton, Florida, doesn’t reveal anything we don’t already know about the tennis star, but they did make a few interesting notes.
Osaka’s identity is often a discussion topic. She was born in Osaka, Japan, to a Japanese mother and Haitian-born father, while most of her life she spent in the United States of America. As Vogue reminds us, at one press conference Osaka closed the discussion by replying:
I’m just me.
Did you know that Naomi-bushi—”Naomi-esque”—was nominated as a buzzword of the year 2018 in Japan? The word refer to Naomi’s soft and polite way of speaking, a contrast to her power and fearlessness during matches.
Osaka is also famous for her sense of humor. Vogue illustrated this by her press conference quote from the 2019 Australian Open:
Every night before bed I would write jokes so I can present them to you guys.
When asked to tell one such joke, Osaka laughed and replied:
That was a joke.
Love the grainy childhood photo of Naomi!
Jim, me too! 😀 She was so cute. Actually she still is.