{"id":26986,"date":"2026-09-21T13:13:10","date_gmt":"2026-09-21T13:13:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=26986"},"modified":"2026-09-21T13:13:10","modified_gmt":"2026-09-21T13:13:10","slug":"in-2014-naomi-osakas-family-faced-eviction-while-she-was-still-chasing-her-tennis-breakthrough-a-year-later-she-had-earned-just-6290-in-six-months-before-becoming-a-four-time-grand-slam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=26986","title":{"rendered":"In 2014, Naomi Osaka\u2019s family faced eviction while she was still chasing her tennis breakthrough; a year later, she had earned just $6,290 in six months before becoming a four-time Grand Slam champion | International Sports News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"e9jwa\">\n<div class=\"vdo_embedd\">\n<div class=\"GfdvZ\">\n<section class=\"_bIDB  clearfix id-r-component leadmedia undefined undefined  E9tg9 \" style=\"top:0px\">\n<div class=\"_bIDB\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">\n<div class=\"ypVvZ\">\n<div class=\"WGttI\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-134381473,imgsize-102813,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/134381473.jpg\" alt=\"In 2014, Naomi Osaka\u2019s family faced eviction while she was still chasing her tennis breakthrough; a year later, she had earned just $6,290 in six months before becoming a four-time Grand Slam champion\" title=\"Naomi Osaka\u2019s family faced eviction while she was still chasing her tennis breakthrough(Getty Images)\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Ta7d_ img_cptn\"><span title=\"Naomi Osaka\u2019s family faced eviction while she was still chasing her tennis breakthrough(Getty Images)\">Naomi Osaka\u2019s family faced eviction while she was still chasing her tennis breakthrough(Getty Images)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Naomi Osaka was 16 when her family received an eviction notice on their Florida condominium. Her professional tennis career was still developing, and her earnings were nowhere near enough to provide financial security.<!-- --> A year later, she had earned just $6,290 during the first six months of 2015, a figure that looks very different against the career she would eventually build.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"3\"\/>More than a decade later, Osaka has four Grand Slam singles titles, a former world No. 1 ranking and a career that stretches beyond tennis into investments, sports ownership, media and fashion.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"5\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2><b>The family gamble behind the Stanford breakthrough<\/b><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p>Osaka\u2019s professional journey began with her father, Leonard Fran\u00e7ois, who coached Naomi and her older sister Mari. <!-- -->Fran\u00e7ois was inspired by Richard Williams and chose to develop his daughters outside the traditional American junior tennis system. The family had moved from Japan to the United States when Naomi was three and eventually settled in Florida.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"11\"\/>The financial pressure became particularly difficult in 2014. According to details from Ben Rothenberg\u2019s biography of Osaka reported by Tennis.com, the family received an eviction notice on their Pembroke Pines condominium about a month before Naomi entered qualifying at the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford. They were given six weeks to leave, at a time when the sisters\u2019 tennis careers had not produced enough income to cover the family\u2019s expenses.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"15\"\/>The Stanford tournament soon gave Osaka an opportunity to change that picture. The 16-year-old qualified for the main draw and faced Samantha Stosur, the 2011 US Open champion and a former world No. 4. Osaka defeated Stosur in three sets, earning $10,000 in prize money and attracting greater attention from sponsors.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"18\"\/>Her finances were still modest after the breakthrough. According to the same biography details, Osaka earned only $6,290 during the first six months of 2015, while Mari earned $2,160 during the same period. Osaka was still climbing the professional rankings, with the Grand Slam titles and commercial success that would eventually transform her career still ahead of her.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"20\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2><b>The Grand Slam years changed the scale<\/b><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p>Osaka\u2019s rise accelerated in 2018 when she won her first WTA title at Indian Wells. <!-- -->Later that year, she reached the US Open final and defeated Serena Williams 6-2, 6-4 to claim her first Grand Slam singles championship.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"25\"\/>The following January brought another major breakthrough. Osaka defeated Petra Kvitova in the 2019 Australian Open final to win her second consecutive Grand Slam title and became the first Japanese player to reach No. 1 in the WTA rankings. She was 21 years and 104 days old when she reached the top position.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"28\"\/>Naomi Osaka added another US Open title in 2020 and another Australian Open championship in 2021, taking her Grand Slam total to four. Her success also transformed her commercial profile. Forbes estimated that she earned $37.4 million between June 2019 and June 2020, including $34 million from endorsements and $3.4 million in prize money, making her the highest-paid female athlete on its list for that period.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"30\"\/>That was a dramatic change from the $6,290 she had earned during the first half of 2015. <!-- -->Osaka had gone from a teenager trying to establish herself on the professional circuit to an athlete whose name carried major commercial value, and she began using that platform to pursue opportunities beyond sponsorships.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"34\"\/><span class=\"strong\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">From endorsements to investments and ownership<\/span><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"36\"\/>Osaka\u2019s business career began taking a different shape as she started investing in companies and taking ownership positions. In 2019, she invested in BodyArmor and received an equity stake in the sports drink company. <!-- -->Coca-Cola acquired the remaining 85% of BodyArmor in 2021 in a deal that valued the company at $5.6 billion.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"40\"\/>She also moved into sports ownership. In 2021, Osaka became an investor in the North Carolina Courage of the National Women\u2019s Soccer League. When the club announced the investment, she spoke about the women who had supported her while she was growing up and connected her decision to opportunities for women in sport.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"43\"\/>\u201cThe women who have invested in me growing up made me who I am today,\u201d Osaka said in the club\u2019s announcement. She also said she wanted to invest in women who could become role models and leaders.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"45\"\/>Her own ventures added another dimension. Osaka launched KINL\u00d2 in 2021, a skincare and suncare brand developed with melanated skin in mind. In 2022, she and Stuart Duguid launched Hana Kuma, a media company focused on stories and creators from different backgrounds. <!-- -->The company later raised $5 million as it expanded its work across entertainment and culture.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"49\"\/>Osaka has also invested in other consumer businesses. In 2024, she participated in funding rounds involving companies including Pressed Roots and W, adding more ventures to a portfolio that has continued to grow alongside her tennis career.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"51\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2><b>A new chapter in 2026<\/b><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p>Osaka\u2019s business interests have continued to expand in 2026, with fashion becoming one of her newest areas of focus. <!-- -->In August, she unveiled a prototype for a luxury leather-goods project with designer Mike Cherman at Uncharted\u2019s Fame to Fortune Summit. Osaka described the project as her \u201cbiggest dream\u201d outside tennis while explaining how her success in the sport had created opportunities to invest and work with people who could help develop her ideas.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"56\"\/>Her professional setup also changed at the beginning of the year. Osaka left Evolve, the sports agency she had co-founded with Duguid, at the end of 2025 and returned to IMG for tennis representation in January 2026.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"59\"\/>On the court, Osaka remains an active professional in 2026, with the WTA listing four Grand Slam titles and a career-high No. 1 ranking. Her return to major competition has added another chapter to a career that has included a rapid rise, a period away from the tour and a return to professional tennis after becoming a mother.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"62\"\/>The contrast with her early years is difficult to miss. In 2014, her family was dealing with an eviction notice while Osaka was still searching for her first major breakthrough. <!-- -->In the first six months of 2015, she had earned $6,290. Within a few years, her annual earnings were being measured in tens of millions of dollars, while her career expanded into investments, ownership and businesses of her own.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"66\"\/>In 2026, Osaka is still competing as a Grand Slam champion, but tennis is now only one part of her professional life. Her investments, sports ownership, media work and luxury fashion project show how the platform created by her tennis career has developed into a much broader business career.<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/sports\/international-sports\/in-2014-naomi-osakas-family-faced-eviction-while-she-was-still-chasing-her-tennis-breakthrough-a-year-later-she-had-earned-just-6290-in-six-months-before-becoming-a-four-time-grand-slam-champion\/articleshow\/134381473.cms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Naomi Osaka\u2019s family faced eviction while she was still chasing her tennis breakthrough(Getty Images) Naomi Osaka was 16 when her family received an eviction notice on their Florida condominium. Her professional tennis career was still developing, and her earnings were nowhere near enough to provide financial security. A year later, she had earned just $6,290 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":26987,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26986","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-31"],"magazineBlocksPostFeaturedMedia":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/134381473.jpg","medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/134381473.jpg","medium_large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/134381473.jpg","large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/134381473.jpg","1536x1536":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/134381473.jpg","2048x2048":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/134381473.jpg","blogsy-small":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/134381473.jpg","blogsy-small-tall":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/134381473.jpg","blogsy-small-square":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/134381473.jpg","blogsy-small-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/134381473.jpg","blogsy-medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/134381473.jpg","blogsy-medium-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/134381473.jpg","blogsy-large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/134381473.jpg","blogsy-wide":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/134381473.jpg"},"magazineBlocksPostAuthor":{"name":"admin","avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"magazineBlocksPostCommentsNumber":"0","magazineBlocksPostExcerpt":"Naomi Osaka\u2019s family faced eviction while she was still chasing her tennis breakthrough(Getty Images) Naomi Osaka was 16 when her family received an eviction notice on their Florida condominium. Her professional tennis career was still developing, and her earnings were nowhere near enough to provide financial security. A year later, she had earned just $6,290 [&hellip;]","magazineBlocksPostCategories":["\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36 \u0b2c\u0b3f\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36"],"magazineBlocksPostViewCount":4,"magazineBlocksPostReadTime":6,"magazine_blocks_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/134381473.jpg",400,225,false],"medium":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/134381473.jpg",300,169,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/134381473.jpg",150,84,false]},"magazine_blocks_author":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/author\/admin"},"magazine_blocks_comment":0,"magazine_blocks_author_image":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g","magazine_blocks_category":"<a href=\"#\" class=\"category-link category-link-31\">\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36 \u0b2c\u0b3f\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36<\/a>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26986","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=26986"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26986\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/26987"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=26986"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=26986"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=26986"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}