Naomi Osaka is a four-time Grand Slam champion, a former World No. 1, and one of the most recognizable athletes in the world. The Japanese star won the US Open (2018, 2020) and the Australian Open (2019, 2021) with a game built on overwhelming power and clean, flat ball-striking, and reached the top of the rankings before stepping away from the tour. Since returning from maternity leave, she has rebuilt steadily, reaching the US Open semifinals in 2025 — her first major semifinal in four years — and a return to the top 20.
2026 added the result her record had always lacked: a deep run away from hard courts. At Wimbledon she beat world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 6-2, 7-6(2), her first win over Sabalenka since 2018, to reach the quarterfinals for the first time. The summer that followed was solid rather than decisive, with a semifinal in Washington, a quarterfinal in Toronto and a fourth-round loss at the US Open to the eventual champion, Elena Rybakina. The profile is an all-time hard-court force, now a genuine threat on grass, chasing a fifth major while managing her body through a full season.
Quick facts
- Full name: Naomi Osaka
- Nationality: Japan (based in the United States)
- Born: October 16, 1997
- Height: 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
- Turned pro: 2013
- Plays: Right-handed, two-handed backhand
- Coach: Tomasz Wiktorowski
- Career-high ranking: World No. 1 (2019)
- Identity: Explosive power baseliner, dominant on hard courts and increasingly dangerous on grass
Season snapshot — September 24, 2026
- Next event: Seeded 16th at the China Open in Beijing (September 30 to October 11), which she won in 2019
- Wimbledon: Quarterfinal, her first at the All England Club and her first major quarterfinal away from hard courts; beat Sabalenka in the fourth round, then lost to Karolina Muchova 7-6(4), 6-4
- US Open: Fourth round, beating Anastasia Zakharova, Katerina Siniakova and Elise Mertens before losing to Elena Rybakina 6-1, 6-4
- North American swing: Washington semifinal (lost to Alexandra Eala) and Toronto quarterfinal (lost to Rybakina after winning the first set)
- Fitness: Osaka said at Wimbledon that she had been managing plantar fasciitis since the previous off-season, and she played her US Open loss while managing an Achilles problem, Reuters reported
This snapshot is dated and will change. The career record elsewhere on this page does not.
Game overview
Osaka’s game is built on raw power: a huge serve and flat, heavy groundstrokes that, on a fast hard court, can overwhelm anyone. All four of her majors came on hard courts, but her 2026 Wimbledon run showed the same weapons work on grass when her first serve is landing: she struck eight aces and saved both break points she faced against Sabalenka. She has also been an influential advocate for athlete mental health and a global cultural figure beyond the sport.
Playing style and strengths
Serve. One of the biggest in the women’s game, a constant source of free points.
Flat power. Heavy, clean groundstrokes that end points quickly.
Big-stage pedigree. Four major titles and, until Wimbledon 2026, a perfect record in Grand Slam quarterfinals.
Pressure points and vulnerabilities
- Physical durability across consecutive weeks: she described her Wimbledon quarterfinal as playing on legs that were “completely gone” after two weeks without a day off
- Opponents who neutralize her pace with variety and net play, as Muchova did at Wimbledon
- Movement and defense in extended rallies
- Rybakina, the new world No. 1, who beat her in both Toronto and New York
Career milestones
- 2018: Maiden major at the US Open, beating Serena Williams in the final
- 2019: Australian Open title, a first rise to World No. 1, and the China Open title in Beijing
- 2020–2021: Second US Open and second Australian Open titles
- 2025: US Open semifinal and Montreal final, confirming her comeback
- 2026: First Wimbledon quarterfinal, beating world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka on Centre Court
Grand Slam record in context
Osaka’s four major titles all came on hard courts, all before 2022, and each came from a quarterfinal she won. That run of five quarterfinal wins from five ended at Wimbledon in 2026, but the tournament itself was the more important result: her first Wimbledon quarterfinal and her best major outside the hard-court swing. A fifth Slam is still most likely in Melbourne or New York, where her power is most decisive, but grass is no longer a surface she can be written off on.
What to watch next
- Fitness — whether the foot and Achilles problems allow a full Asian swing
- Beijing — a title she won in 2019, as the 16th seed
- A fifth Slam — with Melbourne, the site of two of her titles, next on the major calendar
Related reading
- Naomi Osaka Knocks Out No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in Wimbledon Upset
- Alexandra Eala vs Naomi Osaka: Washington Semifinal Preview
- WTA 1000 Guide
- Grand Slams Explained
- ATP Finals and WTA Finals Guide
