‘Champion for Years To Come’- When Chris Evert Introduced Naomi Osaka Into the 100 Most Influential People

Naomi Osaka might not have had a great 2022, but she is still gearing up for the US Open. At a very young, the Japanese player won four grand slam finals, proving her talent at the highest level.

In 2019, Naomi Osaka was on the 100 Most Influential people’s list of Time 100. The same year, the former world no.1 had won her second grand slam title at the Australian Open.

Naomi Osaka was on the 2019 100 Most Influential People’s list

The Japanese player came unexpectedly into the WTA circuit. Keeping her emotions mostly to herself because of her shy nature, Osaka took the tennis world by storm when she won her first grand slam title at the 2018 US Open against none other than the 23-time grand slam champion Serena Williams.

But that was not the end of it. The Japanese star, riding high in the confidence of succeeding at Flushing Meadows, stepped into the new year and won her second grand slam title at the Australian Open. Here, she defeated former world no.1, Petra Kvitova.

As a result of her incredible showing on the tour, she was inducted into Times prestigious 100 list. Tennis legend Chris Evert wrote the introduction of the latest inductee on the list. Evert stated, “Osaka controlled her mind and let her superior power do the work. She won another Slam.”

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She defined the player as the torchbearer of the united world. She stated, “No one represents our more globalized, multicultural future better than this honest, polite, self-deprecating tennis life force, a potential champion for years to come.”

Osaka’s run ahead of the US Open

The legacy predicted by the tennis legend came out to be true. Osaka won the US Open in 2020 and the Australian Open again in 2021. However, after that, the player is struggling in the current season. To make matter worse, she suffered an Achilles injury leading to her first-round defeat at the French Open and subsequently, skipped the Wimbledon Championships.

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Osaka, after recovering from her injury, participated in the Silicon Valley Classic, where she won the first round, but lost to Coco Gauff in the second round. Nonetheless, she has recovered from the injury and the two-time US Open champion will strive to reign over the prestigious hard-court major once again.