Naomi Osaka Reveals Serena Williams’ Daughter Inspired Her for the Brand New Soccer Venture

Naomi Osaka is more than just a tennis player. She has been inspiring people with her off-court activities, and the 23-year-old is swiftly making a mark with her business interests too. Osaka has always been the one who gives back in some way, and this time, she has invested in a National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) team. 

Naomi Osaka follows in the footsteps of Serena Williams’ daughter

The NWSL has strong roots in the country, and there are currently nine teams competing every season. The women’s league is quite enthralling, and there are several personalities who’ve already invested in its growth. 

The youngest of the lot is Serena Williams’ two-year-old daughter Olympia Ohanian, who owns a part of the stake in Los Angeles’ upcoming NWSL team along with her mother and her father. 

Naomi Osaka, following in Serena’s footsteps, has now invested in North Carolina Courage, a team that is already a part of the NWSL. Osaka credited her loved ones and heroes for making her go through with the move and further commented on her new investment: 

“I’ve been seeing this sort of ongoing thing where other athletes are investing in other sports. I always thought it was really cool,” Osaka said. There is always mutual respect among athletes across every sport, and Osaka has just helped a professional soccer team thrive from a financial aspect. 

“Billie Jean King texts me sometimes, so I was getting inspired from her. I remember reading in an article that Serena’s daughter invested in a soccer team, too. I thought that maybe that’s a really good direction to go,” Osaka added. 

Osaka on the reason behind choosing a team based in North Carolina

The North Carolina Courage finished fifth in the NWSL’s recent 2020 Fall Series, and there is a unique reason why Osaka chose to invest in them out of the remaining franchises. 

“As for choosing North Carolina, it’s because I visited there quite a couple of times because of my boyfriend’s family, and he was born there,” Osaka mentioned. 

The North Carolina based team has been highly successful in the NWSL, and they were regular-season champions for three successive seasons from 2017-19. The team’s newest member of the ownership group is immensely excited to join the family. 

“I feel like definitely, I’ll be able to go down there and watch a couple of games,” Osaka said. 

“For me, the biggest thing I’m excited about, I really want to try to train with them. I think it’s always really fun to train with different athletes and see what they’re better than me at. I’m sure there’s a lot of things that they’re better than me at,” she further added. 

Naomi Osaka is truly an inspiring athlete and she still has miles to go in her career. The 23-year-old is making valuable contributions not only to her sport but also across other fields as well, which makes her an outstanding human being. 

Also Read | “We Have Good Chances”: Dominic Thiem Sends Warning to Opponents Ahead of ATP Cup 2021