She has been ranked as the world No. She is the first Japanese player to win a major singles title. Osaka broke into the upper echelon of women's tennis in , winning her first Tour title at the Indian Wells Open , then defeating Serena Williams in the final of the US Open. After winning the Australian Open in early , she reached the world No.
Following two more major titles, in , Osaka suffered from depression and other issues, which led to a publicly-scrutinized retirement from the French Open and withdrawal from Wimbledon. She took maternity leave in , returning to competition in Osaka is one of the world's most marketable athletes. In , she ranked eighth among athletes in endorsement income and had the highest-ever annual income of any female athlete.
Osaka is also recognized as an activist, having showed support for the Black Lives Matter movement. She was named one of the Sports Illustrated Sportspersons of the Year for her activism, particularly during her US Open championship run, and was included on Time ' s annual list of the most influential people in the world in , , and Osaka was the Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year.
At the Tokyo Olympics , she became the first tennis player to light the Olympic cauldron during the opening ceremony. On the court, Osaka has an aggressive playing style with a powerful serve that can reach kilometers per hour mph. The sisters were given their mother's family name as that was the practice when just one spouse held native citizenship.
Osaka's parents met when her father was visiting Hokkaido while he was a college student in New York. When Osaka was four years old, her family moved from Japan to the U. Having little experience as a tennis player himself, he sought to emulate how Richard Williams trained his daughters to become two of the best players in the world, despite having never played the sport.
