NAOMI TAKES A STAND
ON COURT she’s fierce, focused and confident, charging up to the net, sending double-handed backhands ripping into the opposite corner and notching up aces.
‘PEOPLE HAVE NO REGARD FOR ATHLETES’ MENTAL HEALTH’
Not for nothing is Naomi Osaka the current world No 2, holder of four Grand Slam titles and 2020’s highest-earning female athlete on the planet. She made $37,4 million (R523,6m) last year, with $34m (R476m) of that coming from endorsements. Louis Vuitton, Tag Heuer, Mastercard, Nike, Airbnb – all have lined up to get her on board.
Yet the 23-year-old Japanese-Haitian star’s future is in jeopardy now.
