“It was a client-agent contract”: Naomi Osaka pushes back on ownership claims tied to Evolve

Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka gave an interview in which she addressed her departure from the representation agency Evolve — a company that was widely believed to have been created by the Japanese player herself alongside her former agent Stuart Duguid.

For that reason, Osaka’s exit from Evolve was particularly striking, as she returned to representation giant IMG — the agency that had represented her prior to the creation of Evolve.

The agency initially represented only Osaka, but over time added a small number of high-profile names from the tennis world to its roster — a limited client list, but one with strong marketing appeal — including Nick Kyrgios, Aryna Sabalenka, Anna Kalinskaya and Ons Jabeur.

Evolve was also responsible for organizing the Battle of the Sexes exhibition, the controversial event featuring Sabalenka and Kyrgios in Dubai, which became one of the most talked-about topics of the off-season and generated both positive and negative reactions across the tennis world.

Journalist Ben Rothenberg reported in mid-December on Osaka’s departure from Evolve, and in a recent interview with Bounces, the former world No.1 clarified the situation.

“I feel like people are a little confused,” she said. “Like, I know what the headlines say, but when I signed my contract with Evolve, it was a client-agent contract, so I didn’t have any shares or equity. I never did.”

“There are just some things that I disagreed with,” she added. “And having your name so publicly attached to something, and then like every decision they make, I don’t have control in that — it was just really stressful for me. I just wanted to be aligned with a company that understood what I have.”

According to Rothenberg, he asked Osaka where the confusion came from, as the project was initially referred to as “Osaka’s agency” or “Osaka’s new project.”

And although the Japanese player was not overly explicit, she suggested that this had indeed been the original plan. “I would just say: That’s obviously what I wanted and what was promised.”

The 28-year-old is preparing for her debut at the Australian Open — a tournament that holds special memories for her, as she won two of her Grand Slam titles there: in 2019, defeating Petra Kvitova in the final, and again in 2021, when she beat Jennifer Brady.

This time, Osaka returns as a seeded player for the first time since 2022. She will make her debut as the 16th seed against young Croatian Antonia Ružić on Tuesday, January 20, during the night session on Rod Laver Arena. The former world No.1 was eliminated in the third round in 2025, but her current form on tour is significantly stronger than it was a year ago.

Osaka’s strong finish to the 2025 season has fueled optimism heading into the new year. She reached the final of the Canadian Open — her first WTA 1000 final since 2022 — and advanced to the semifinals of the US Open, her first time reaching that stage at a major since the 2021 Australian Open. The Japanese star also climbed to her best ranking in four years, reaching world No.14, and looking physically sharp, her ambitions are undoubtedly even higher heading into the 2026 season.