Tennis star Naomi Osaka buys stake in North Carolina women’s soccer club

RALEIGH, N.C. (NewsNation Now) — Japan’s three-time Grand Slam tennis champion Naomi Osaka has become a team owner after investing in National Women’s Soccer League team North Carolina Courage.

The investment was confirmed by the the two-time NWSL champions and by Osaka on Twitter.

“The women who have invested in me growing up made me who I am today and I cannot think of where my life would be without them,” said Naomi in a press release.

“My investment in the North Carolina Courage is far beyond just being a team owner, it’s an investment in amazing women who are role models and leaders in their fields and inspirations to all young female athletes,” added Osaka. “I also admire everything the Courage does for diversity and equality in the community, which I greatly look forward to supporting and driving forward.”

The Naomi Osaka Play Academy, an initiative that aims to change girls’ lives through play and sport, aligns itself with the NWSL’s status as the largest youth to professional soccer club in the U.S., with over 13,000 players.

Osaka, 23, was named Forbes’ highest-paid female athlete in 2020 when she surpassed her idol Serena Williams, raking in $37.4 million in prize money and endorsements over 12 months.

Courage, founded in 2017 by Stephen Malik who acquired the franchise rights from 2016 champions Western New York Flash, won back-to-back titles in 2018 and 2019 after moving to North Carolina.

NEW YORK: Naomi Osaka of Japan speaks after winning her Women’s Singles semifinal match against Jennifer Brady of the United States on Day 11 of the 2020 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 10, 2020 in the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

“I am thrilled to welcome Naomi as an owner of the North Carolina Courage,” Malik, chairman of the club, said.

“She brings an invaluable viewpoint on topics beyond sports. I cannot think of anyone better to help us as we continue to make a difference in our community and inspire the next generation of women.”

Currently ranked as world number three, Osaka was named the Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year in 2020 for both her performance on the court and her off-the-court activism.

Osaka, who won the U.S. Open last year, has used her standing in the sport as a platform to fight for racial justice and at every round of the tournament in New York wore masks bearing the names of Black Americans who had been killed.