Australian Open finalist Naomi Osaka has blossomed into the richest, most marketable female athlete on the planet

Naomi Osaka comfortably switches between sporting megastar to awkward, giggly kid and it’s helped make her the face of women’s tennis.

Naomi Osaka is the most marketable female athlete in the world. Picture: AFP Photo

“I heard you had a flip-flop dilemma? You’re so ridiculous.”

Japanese superstar Naomi Osaka, mid-press conference at the Australian Open last week, had spotted her close friend – and last year’s French Open champion – Iga Swiatek among the usual group of reporters.

They set about having an inane conversation in front of, effectively, the world, where Swiatek, every bit of 19, told her not to hesitate interrupting her next chat with the media.

In that moment, Osaka morphed into an everyday 23-year-old.

The $34 million smile of Naomi Osaka. Picture: Getty Images

She switches gears so comfortably between sporting megastar to awkward, giggly kid who loves video games, and racial justice and equal rights crusader.

Osaka does so because she’s sharp as a whip and incredibly aware of the platform she’s created, certainly helped by the fact she’ll gun for her fourth grand slam title on Saturday night.

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Naomi Osaka strikes a forehand during her Australian Open semi-final victory over Serena Williams. Picture: Mackenzie Sweetnam/Getty Images

You don’t become the world’s highest-paid female athlete ever by accident, as she did last year in smashing Maria Sharapova’s record from 2015 and relegating Serena Williams to second place.

Among tennis players, only Roger Federer out-earned Osaka’s monstrous $34 million in endorsements last year.

She’s also appeared on the cover of magazine goliaths Vogue, Time, GQ, Allure and many more.

Tennis, like no other sport, affords females equal footing with their male counterparts, a product of the trailblazing Original Nine breakaway group who 50 years ago paved the way for the WTA Tour.

Sharapova was, and remains in retirement, a savvy businesswoman who could sell Nike outfits as easily as Evian water and her Sugarpova lolly empire.

Osaka – who had the late Kobe Bryant as a mentor – goes about things differently but equally effectively and, in many ways, has blossomed into her public persona.

Her bulging ambassadorial portfolio includes Nike, TAG Heuer, Yonex, MasterCard, Nissan, Louis Vuitton, Nissin Group, Hyperice, bareMinerals, All Nippon Airways, Shiseido, BodyArmor, Citizen and Wowow.

Japanese dual-citizens, as in Osaka’s case with the United States, must choose one nationality before turning 22 years old.

She announced she had chosen Japan only days before her birthday on October 16 in 2019, declaring it gave her “a special feeling to try to go to the Olympics to represent Japan”.

Several of those aforementioned brands jumped on board after Osaka’s decision, as she prepares to be one of the faces of the Tokyo Olympic Games.

Japan’s Naomi Osaka is the richest female sports star in the world. Picture: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

Even so, that didn’t stop Osaka criticising former Tokyo Olympics chief Yoshiro Mori after his sexist remarks alleging women speak too much in meetings.

Asked if Mori should resign, a thoughtful Osaka bought herself time, paused, then offered the following.

“I feel like that was a really ignorant statement to make,” she said.

“I’m not sure if it’s a situation where someone should demand that he resigns, or if it’s just something that people need to make him understand that what he said wasn’t right.”

Mori’s since resigned and been replaced by a woman, Japan’s Olympics Minister Seiko Hashimoto.

After beating Williams to reach her second Australian Open final on Thursday, Osaka commented on the Mori situation again.

“What it means is that there are a lot of things people used to accept – the things that used to be said – but you’re seeing the newer generation not tolerate a lot of things,” she said.

“I feel like it’s really good, because you’re pushing forward, (and) barriers are being broken down, especially for females.”

Naomi Osaka walks out for her US Open second-round match last year with a face mask bearing the name of Elijah McClain, a Black victim of alleged police violence. Picture: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

Osaka is also leading the charge for the same barriers to be busted down for Black people.

At last year’s US Open, she walked on court with a different face mask for all seven of her matches on route to the title, each bearing the name of a Black victim of alleged police or racist violence.

This was Osaka’s coming-of-age moment, where she went from just a professional tennis player – an outstanding one – to a global difference-maker.

And, true to form, her words to the media afterwards were well-chosen and poignant, when quizzed on the message she was trying to send with her masks.

“Well, what was the message that you got was more the question. I feel like the point is to make people start talking.”

Osaka certainly has that down pat.