Sports Illustrated revealed tennis star Naomi Osaka as one of three cover models for its annual Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue Monday. Osaka is the first Black athlete to land on the cover of the edition.
“I’m so proud to be the first Japanese and Haitian woman to grace one of the covers,” Osaka said in a video posted by Sports Illustrated. “I feel like that multicultural background is present in all of the things that I do.”
“There’s no question that Naomi is one of the best athletes in the world, and a cover spot felt obvious,” Sports Illustrated Swimsuit editor-in-chief MJ Day said in a news release.
“She’s spent her formative years racking up titles and is headed to the Olympics. But we celebrate Naomi for her passion, strength and power geared towards consistently breaking barriers when it comes to equality, social justice, and mental health.”
Osaka, 23, dropped out of the French Open in May due to mental health concerns. She hasn’t played since, but plans to return to the court and compete for Japan at the postponed 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo.
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