Naomi Osaka chooses Japanese citizenship
Former world number one Naomi Osaka has finally opted for Japanese citizenship with a view to the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
by SID
last edit: Oct 12, 2019, 02:05 pm
This confirmed the two-time Grand Slam winner on Thursday the Japanese TV channel NHK.
"It gives me a special boost to represent Japan at the Olympics," said Osaka. "I think I'm going to put in more emotion because I'm playing for the pride of the nation." Her goal is the gold medal, said Osaka, even if she respects the high expectations.
Osaka is the daughter of a Japanese and a Haitian, grew up in the United States and, in addition to Japanese, was also previously a US citizen. However, Japanese law requires that Japanese nationals with dual citizenship choose a nationality until their 22nd birthday. Naomi Osaka turns 22 on October 16.