Tennis champion Naomi Osaka is set to star in a new manga comic book series in Japan. Osaka's sister, Mari, produced the series, Unrivaled Naomi Tenka-ichi, which will be published through Nakayoshi magazine.
"Growing up, reading manga [and] watching anime was something that bonded me and my sister immensely, so this is really exciting for both of us," Osaka said.
Osaka is wrapping up one of the most successful years of her career. This summer, she won her second U.S. Open title. Leading up to her tournament victory, she wore a face mask each day honoring the life of person killed by police violence. In addition, the New York native took major steps financially. Earlier this year, she became the highest paid athlete in history. Topping iconic tennis figure Serena Williams, Osaka earned $37 million in 2019.
“To those outside the tennis world, Osaka is a relatively fresh face with a great back story,” USC sports business professor David Carter said.
“Combine that with being youthful and bicultural, two attributes that help her resonate with younger, global audiences, and the result is the emergence of a global sports marketing icon.”
The global sports icon will expand her reach yet again when Unrivaled Naomi Tenka-ichi is published in late December.
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