Naomi Osaka had social media buzzing with her new hair. On Thursday, the 23-year-old tennis star went to Instagram to show off her hair as she dyed it pink. In the Instagram post, Osaka referenced an Anime character in the caption.
“Sakura could never lol,” Osaka wrote. The post has received over 450,000 likes and 7,000 comments. One of the most notable comments was from Olympic star Usain Bolt who wrote, “U wore it better [Naomi Osaka].” Another notable comment came from actor Samuel L. Jackson who wrote, “All da Smoke… Brangittttt!!!!” Osaka’s new look comes after she defeated Jennifer Brady in the Australian Open finals. According to ESPN, Osaka is the second woman in the Open era to win their first four major final appearances. She now trails Serena and Venus Williams with major victories among active players.
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“I have this mentality that people don’t remember the runners up. You might, but the winner’s name is the one that’s engraved,” Osaka said. “I think I fight the hardest in the finals. I think that’s where you set yourself apart, it’s like the biggest fight.” ESPN analyst Rennae Stubbs believes that no tennis player is better than Osaka.
“This win solidifies her as the best player in the world,” Stubbs said. “That’s what it does. I think that there is no question that, certainly on a hard court, she is as dominant as a player has been over the last three years. For a while, there were these questions about her not liking the spotlight and if that would prevent her from becoming a dominant player, but we can all just push that aside now because that’s clearly not the case. We know that she loves it.”
Osaka won her first grand slam in 2018, beating Serena Williams at the US Open. She went on to win the 2019 Australian Open and US Open again last year. Osaka is now looking to win a French Open and Wimbledon as her career continues to ascend.
The funny thing is, I don’t look at expectations as a burden anymore,” she said Saturday. “I feel like I’m at the point now where it’s something that I’ve worked for. Like, people wouldn’t expect things from me if I hadn’t done things prior, if that makes sense.”
