Naomi Osaka, Racial Justice Activist, by Annie Leibovitz for Vogue US January 2021

The public life of Naomi Osaka fast-tracked after her September 8, 2018 US Open upset victory over Serena Williams. Osaka is ranted No. 1 by the Women’s Tennis Association.

Now Naomi Osaka covers the January 2021 issue of American Vogue, styled by Jordan Bichkam in images by Annie Leibovitz.

In the period between June 2019 and June 2020, Naomi Osaka became the highest-paid female athlete of all time, writes Forbes. Osaka beat Williams in the money game $37.4 million to $36 million. Nike committed roughly $10 million annually, winning the young campion away from Adidas. In total Naomi Osaka had 15 endorsement partners including Nissan Motor, Shiseido and Japanese sports equipment manufacturing company. Yonex, as of mid-August 2020.

I’m not sure that Serena Williams would agree with Naomi Osaka being crowned “the People’s Champion’ in the January 2021 issue of Vogue US. The entire interview by Rob Haskell is titled: ‘Leading By Example: How Naomi Osaka Became the People’s Champion’.

Wearing a Louis Vuitton dress on her cover and a Nina Ricci dress waterside, it’s Osaka’s Emmett Till COVID-protecting face mask that is her strongest fashion statement.