“She saw LeBron, KD, and Tom Brady,” Naomi Osaka’s business partner gives an insight on how ‘Evolve’ was created
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Naomi Osaka andStuart Duguid (Image: Boardroom)
Japanese professional tennis player, Naomi Osaka is one of the foremost Asian to have ever played the game. The former world No. 1 is a four-time Grand Slam singles champion with two Australian and two US Open titles. Other than the impressive on-court performance, Osaka is also known to be open when it comes to the mental health and well-being of the athletes.
Back in May 2022, Osaka announced that she is partnering with her agent, Stuart Duguid after being represented by IMG for six years to form her own sports agency, Evolve. Essentially, the agency is focused on brand collaborations, investing, creating athlete-owned ventures, and philanthropy. Australian professional, Nick Kyrgios has become Evolve’s first client.
In a recent interview with Boardroom, Osaka and Duguid talked about their sports venture, which termed her ‘the modern mogul’. “The most interesting aspect of the business for me is investing,” Osaka told Boardroom. “I’ve learned a ton in the last 18 months. That’s probably the area where I’m most engaged,” She further added.
“Naomi looked around and saw LeBron, KD, and Tom Brady. She said, ‘Why can’t I be like all these male superstars?’” Duguid said while talking about what actually inspired her to start the venture.
Naomi Osaka’s off-court life, activism in the professional tennis
In the last few years, Naomi Osaka has emerged as an entrepreneur with her own media firm Hana Kuma, skincare brand KINLO, and sports agency Evolve, which she started with her longtime agent at IMG, Stuart Duguid.
Other than venturing into multiple different businesses, Osaka is also known to be one of the leading activists in professional tennis. Recently, the 25-year-old has been one of the very few athletes to talk openly about the rarely discussed mental health of the players on the tour. In 2021, shortly before the start of the French Open tournament, she announced that she would not conduct her mandatory media assignments, citing mental health issues.
Other than the well-being of players, Osaka has also taken a firm stand for various humanitarian issues. In 2020 she withdraw from the Cincinnati Open in New York to raise awareness for the police shooting of Jacob Blake which led the tournament to postpone all ATP and WTA matches for a day in support of her cause.
Fast forward to the present time, Osaka’s next appearance on the court is still uncertain. As far as the Australian Open 2023 is concerned, she may enter the tournament as a wild card entry. So her fans, eagerly waiting to see her in action again, may have to wait even longer.
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