Naomi Osaka wins ‘Best Athlete, Women’s Sports’ at her first ESPY Awards on ESPN

Bryan Ke
·1 min read
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Naomi Osaka made her first appearance at ESPN's ESPY Awards on Saturday and took home the award for Best Athlete, Women’s Sports.

The award show: The 23-year-old pro tennis player thanked everyone who supported her during the brief acceptance speech she delivered at the award show, according to Deadline.



  • While giving her speech, Osaka admitted she was “a bit nervous.”

  • “I know this year’s been really — it hasn’t even finished — but it’s been really tough for a lot of us and, for me, I just want to say I really love you guys,” she said, adding that this was her first ESPY award.

  • Osaka is set to compete at the Tokyo Games later this month and will represent Japan.

  • The tennis player made headlines after she withdrew from the French Open in May and the Wimbledon championships in June.


Notable winners: Osaka, who is of Japanese and Haitian descent, was one of the few Asian and Asian American winners at the ESPY Awards over the weekend.

  • Shohei Ohtani, who will be the first player to become a hitter and pitcher at an MLB All-Star Game, took home the award for Best MLB Player, South China Morning Post reported.

  • South Korean player Kim Sei-young won Best Athlete in Women’s Golf.

  • Lastly, Korean American snowboarder Chloe Kim took home the award for Best Athlete in Women’s Action Sports.


Featured Image via ESPN (left), @naomiosaka (right)

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