Naomi Osaka reflects on the lessons of her past, the reality of her present and hopes for the future

How do you follow the Greatest Generation? It’s a question tennis has tried to answer for at least a decade. Serena, Roger, Novak, Rafa: all of them are over 30, and they’ve combined to win 75 Grand Slam singles titles—but none of them are going away quietly. When they do, who will fill their very large shoes?

As you’ll see in The 21 & Under Club, the future of tennis is still coming, and coming soon. While it may not produce a 20-Slam winner, it’s clear that the game will be in good hands. Interesting hands, too: one thing we know for sure is that this new generation of players will infuse the tours with a wide and refreshing range of styles, personalities and backgrounds. When the Greatest Generation says goodbye, we can feel good about welcoming this cast of players to the courts.

Naomi Osaka stood out from the start. She had a memorable name, even-more-memorable hair, and a shyly deadpan sense of humor. She also had a sensationally unlikely backstory: Osaka was born in Japan, but raised in the U.S. by her Haitian father with the express purpose of becoming the next Serena Williams. She wasn’t the first disciple of Serena, but when she bashed her way to the third round of the 2016 Australian Open at 18, it seemed as if she might be the best.

So it has proven. It took Osaka two years to make the transition from big-time hitter to big-match player, but no one could stop her once she did—including Serena, in last year’s infamous US Open final. When Osaka backed that up with another major title at the 2019 Australian Open, the sport had a new No. 1, and a new future.

But Osaka wasn’t finished surprising us. A month later, she parted ways with the coach, Sascha Bajin, who had helped launch her on her meteoric rise. Osaka’s explanation was that happiness meant more than success. She struggled after the split, but however long it takes her to find her feet and range again, we know she’ll get there. She may not be the next Serena, but with her seemingly contradictory, always interesting blend of confidence and diffidence, she’s the first Naomi, and that’s more than good enough.

The 21 & Under Club: Naomi Osaka

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