Naomi Osaka has been immortalized by Mattel, who has turned the tennis champion into a Barbie doll.
The four-time Grand Slam champion doll is wearing a replica of a Nike tennis dress Osaka wore at the 2020 Australian Open. It also comes with a matching white Nike visor, a tennis ball, and a Yonex racket.
“It’s such an honor to be a part of the Barbie Role Model series, and to remind young girls that they can make a difference in the world,” Osaka said in a release. “I want young girls everywhere to feel empowered to dream big and to know that if they believe in themselves that anything is possible!”
Mattel announced on Monday the doll is now available for purchase on Amazon and the Mattel website. The Osaka doll is a part of the brand’s Role Model Series.
It’s been a great start to the month for the athlete.
Last week, she took home the awards for Best Female Athlete and Best Female Tennis Player at the ESPY’s.
“I just really want to not say a long speech because I’m a bit nervous … I know this year has been really, it hasn’t even finished, but it’s been really tough for a lot of us. For me, I just want to say, I really love you guys and this is my first ESPYs so it’s really cool to be surrounded by all these incredible athletes,” Osaka said. “I think all of you guys are really cool and I watch some of you on TV so it’s really surreal to be here and yeah, thank you so much and I really appreciate it.”
Osaka withdrew from the French Open, choosing to prioritize her mental health.
“The truth is that I have suffered long bouts of depression since the US Open in 2018 and I have had a really hard time coping with that,” Osaka wrote on Instagram. “Though the tennis press has always been kind to me (and I wanna apologize especially to all the cool journalists who I may have hurt), I am not a public speaker and get huge waves of anxiety before I speak to the world’s media.”
“I’m gonna take some time away from the court now, but when the time is right I really want to work with the Tour to discuss ways we can make things better for the players, press and fans,.”
