Thursday, Jan 28, 2021. 3:03 PM
Japanese tennis star and activist Naomi Osaka, winner of three Grand Slams, has become part-owner of North Carolina Courage, the American Women’s Football League (NWSL) club announced Thursday.
“I am delighted to welcome Naomi. She embodies the values we strive to cultivate in our club and her perspective is invaluable on matters that go beyond sports. I don’t know of anyone better to help us as we want to continue to inspire the next generation of women, ”said other co-owner Steve Malik, who bought the Western New York Flash in 2017 and renamed and relocated it. in the Raleigh area.
Osaka, which according to Forbes was the highest-paid sportswoman in the world in 2020, will be involved in various directions and decisions to be taken this year.
“My investment goes far beyond just owning a team. It is an investment in extraordinary women who are role models and leaders in their field and who are a source of inspiration for all young athletes, ”commented the 23-year-old star, who says she“ looks forward to supporting everything. what Courage does for diversity and equality ”.
Last year, Osaka rose alone to the net of activism within the frozen microcosm of world tennis, to support “Black Lives Matter”, not hesitating to boycott her semi-final of the Cincinnati tournament in the wake of the movement launched by the NBA team of Milwaukee after the police shootings in the back of the African-American Jacob Blake, in Kenosha (Wisconsin).
Event organizers followed by putting tennis on hiatus for a day and she finally agreed to play the next day.
Three weeks later, she went on to win the US Open for the second time in her career after 2018, her third Major including the 2019 Australian Open.
Osaka is not the first woman to invest in a NWSL club. Newly created Angel City FC Los Angeles, due to join the league in 2022, has tennis star Serena Williams as its owner, as well as actresses Eva Longoria, Natalie Portman, Jennifer Garner and Jessica Chastain.
