Osaka graces cover of Vogue, speaks about activism

US Open champion Naomi Osaka added another accolade to her list of honors this year, as she is featured on the cover of Vogue's January 2021 issue.

The three-time Grand Slam champion became just the second tennis player to grace the cover of the prestigious magazine, following Serena Williams who has been featured twice (April 2015, February 2018).

Osaka spoke with Vogue about the roller-coaster of emotions she experienced during the Western & Southern Open and the subsequent US Open tournament in New York.

As tennis players, we’re so hyper-focused on what happens on the court, and we think our life is sort of determined by whether we win a match or not,” she told Vogue. “That’s not true. I think that the pandemic gave me the chance to go into the real world and do things that I wouldn’t have done without it.

I always grew up with a little bit more Japanese heritage and culture, but I’m Black, and I live in America, and I personally didn’t think it was too far-fetched when I started talking about things that were happening here. There are things going on here that really scare me.”

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The World No.3 became a vocal advocate for racial justice during her US Open run, and used her platform to bring awareness to police brutality against African-Americans. Furthermore, she donned a different facemask during each match, with the names of seven victims of police violence emblazoned across each one.

“I was just thinking that I had this opportunity to raise awareness," Osaka said. "Tennis is watched all around the world, so people who might not know these names can Google them and learn their stories... That was a big motivator for me, and I think it helped me win the tournament.”

Click here to view Naomi Osaka's January 2021 cover issue of Vogue.

大坂なおみ 🇭🇹🇯🇵🇺🇸 on Instagram: “Wow.... Vogue cover. Words can’t describe how honored I am. Thank you so much @voguemagazine this is really a dream. Growing up looking at…”