Naomi Osaka, the Japanese women’s singles winner at last week’s US Open tennis tournament, has landed a lucrative sponsorship deal with carmaker Nissan.
The 20-year-old Osaka doubled her career earnings when she took home the $3.8m winner’s cheque by beating Serena Williams in the final.
Osaka joins stars such as Gareth Bale of Real Madrid and Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero in becoming a brand ambassador for Nissan. Her other sponsors already include adidas, Yonex, Nissin Foods (see picture), Japanese telco firm Wowow and watchmaker Citizen.
The tennis star is predicted to become one of the most marketable athletes in Japan in the build-up to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.