Japanese Tennis Star Naomi Osaka’s Sponsors

Naomi Osaka’s aggressive baseline game has captured the hearts of fans around the world.  Sponsors have taken notice too, signing up Osaka for lucrative deals. In 2020, Osaka became the highest-earning female athlete in the world.

Naomi Osaka became the first Japanese person to win a grand slam when she defeated Serena Williams at the US Open in 2018.  After winning the Australian Open in 2019, she became the first player from Japan to be ranked No. 1 in the world – male or female.

Osaka was born in Japan but trained mostly in the US.  With the 2020 summer Olympics in Tokyo, brands have rushed to sign up Osaka, just as they did with her fellow Japanese tennis player Kei Nishikori.

Naomi Osaka’s Sponsors List

Nike

Osaka currently has a deal with Nike that pays her $8.5 million a year. Osaka won her first two grand slams wearing Adidas.  When her deal with Adidas came up for renewal, Nike reportedly beat out Adidas and Uniqlo to sign up the Japanese star.

In a rare move, Nike allowed Osaka to have other partner patches on Nike apparel.  This will increase the visibility of her other sponsors.

Nissin

Japanese noodle company Nissin signed up Osaka in 2016 and is one of her main sponsors. In 2019, the company got in hot water for white-washing Osaka in their ads and showing her with pale skin.  The company promptly apologized and promised to work with Osaka about how she is portrayed in its advertisements.

Nissan

Japanese carmaker Nissan named Osaka as its global brand ambassador in 2018. She is expected to appear in global ads for the automaker.  Another perk for being a Nissan brand ambassador is that she will also be provided Nissan vehicles while on tour.

Citizen

Japanese watchmaker Citizen signed up Osaka in 2018 before her grand slam success. She was wearing a Citizen watch when she won her first grand slam title. Recently, Osaka has been wearing CITIZEN Eco-Drive*1 Bluetooth watches on the court.

Mastercard

Mastercard signed up Naomi Osaka when she was ranked number one in the world – the first time the company has signed up a reigning number 1 tennis player in the world. Signing up Osaka gives Mastercard an opportunity to reach new consumers in Asia.

Yonex

Osaka has been playing with the Yonex racquet since she was 10. Her mom Tamaki Osaka, sent a letter to the Yonex president in Japan asking for product support.  Yonex looked at Osaka’s talent and immediately agreed.

Osaka currently uses the EZONE 98 racquet for power and precision.  Yonex is known for its square-shaped-racquet head and is used by many top players including Frances Tiafoe, Nick Kyrgios, and  Stan Wawrinka.

WOWOW

Osaka signed a long-term deal with Japanese Broadcaster WOWOW.  Together with Kei Nishikori, Osaka will become the face of all tennis coverage WOWOW through interviews, personal appearances, and digital marketing.

ANA (All Nippon Airways)

Japan’s largest Airline, All Nippon Airways (ANA) signed a sponsorship agreement with Osaka in 2019. Osaka will be wearing the ANA logo on her tennis gear starting.

Shiseido

Tokyo-based personal care company Shiseido signed up Osaka in 2018.  Osaka is the new face of Shiseido’s beauty brands, ANESSA, and bareMinerals.

BodyArmor

BodyArmor is a sports drink manufacturer that competes with Gatorade. The company was founded by Mike Repole, an American entrepreneur.  Repole is the co-founder of Glaceau, which makes Vitaminwater.  Glaceau was sold to Coca-Cola for $4.1 billion.

Hyperice

Hyperice specializes in recovery and performance-oriented products for athletes. The company makes vibration and percussion fitness devices to optimize wellness and performance.

Soto

In 2020, Osaka joined premium sake brand Soto as an investor and creative consultant.  Soto is well-known for its natural premium products.

Strathberry

In 2020, Strathberry partnered with Naomi Osaka to introduce a new line of handbags. Strathberry is a luxury fashion accessories company based in Edinburg, Scotland. It was founded in 2011 by Guy Hundleby and Leeanne Hundleby.

Louis Vuitton

Osaka became a brand ambassador for Louis Vuitton in 2021. Louis Vuitton is a French fashion house and luxury goods, maker. The company’s products include shoes, watches, jewelry, accessories, and sunglasses.

TAG Heuer

Not surprisingly, just after signing up with Louis Vuitton, Naomi Osaka became an ambassador for Swiss luxury watchmaker TAG Heuer. TAG Heuer is owned by Louis Vuitton but operates as an independent brand.

Workday

Osaka is the first tennis player to endorse Workday. Workday is an American cloud-based enterprise software company. Osaka wears the Workday logo on the chest portion of her shirt.

Sweetgreen

In 2021, Naomi Osaka became an investor in Sweetgreen. She also became the company’s first brand ambassador. Sweetgreen is a fast-casual restaurant chain known for its healthy food options.

Panasonic

In 2021, Osaka became an ambassador for the Japanese multinational company, Panasonic. The company makes a number of products and services including rechargeable batteries, automotive and avionic systems, industrial systems, home renovation, and construction.

FTX (Expired)

Osaka is an investor and ambassador for the crypto trading firm FTX. As part of the deal, Osaka will produce branded crypto content for women. She will be paid in cryptocurrency for this sponsorship deal.

Victoria’s Secret

In 2023, Naomi Osaka revealed her Victoria’s Secret collection. She joined the company as brand ambassador in 2021.

Kei Nishikori Sponsors

Japanese star Kei Nishikori is one of the most highly paid tennis players.  His off-court income is off the charts for someone with his accomplishments.  For example, Kei is yet to win a grand slam but earns more in endorsement earnings than players with more than 15 grand slam titles.

Nishikori is highly sought after in his native Japan.  He is only of the few internationally recognizable faces from the country and brands have rushed to sign him up to promote their brands.

Nishikori had an adoring fan base in Japan.  His practice sessions in his country got to out of hand due to massive crowds that he moved his practice base to Japan. In 2014, he became the first man from Asia to reach a grand slam final at the 2014 US Open.

With Tokyo hosting the 2020 Olympics, Nishikori is likely to be the face of many advertisement campaigns.

Uniqlo

Nishikori has a clothing deal with Uniqlo.  Interestingly, he also wears Nike shoes. Nishikori has been the brand ambassador for the Japanese fast retail giant since 2011. In 2016, Uniqlo renewed the deal with Nishikori.  The latest deal reportedly earns him more than $10 million a year.

Nissin

Tokyo based Nissin Foods has sponsored Nishikori since 2008. Fellow Japanese player Naomi Osaka is also sponsored by Nissin.  Both players have appeared in ads together. Nissin logo can be seen in Nishikori’s Uniqlo shirt.

Nike

Nishikori wears Nike shoes on the court.   In 2018, Nike released The NikeCourt Air Zoom Vapor X LTR PE “Nishikori” shoe.  The wave print on the upper part of the shoe references Nishikori’s hometown of Matsue, which translates roughly to “Water City.” The sock liner print is an ode to Japanese cherry blossoms.

Wilson

Nishikori has been using Wilson racquets for a long time. Nishikori’s current racquet is the Wilson Ultra 95. He signed a lifetime deal with Wilson in 2015.

Jaguar

In 2014, Coventry, UK based Jaguar signed Nishikori as its ambassador to promote the brand in Japan.  Jaguar also presented him with the  Jaguar F-TYPE V8 S Convertible,

Japan Airlines

Nishikori’s partnership with Japan Airlines began in 2015.  In 2016, Japan Airlines announced that it will launch a special aircraft with Nishikori’s name. The jet, called “JET-KEI,” will begin flying on international routes on March 4, 2016.

The theme of this special aircraft was meant to capture Nishikori’s aggressive playing style and his eagerness to reach the top of the tennis world.

Asahi

Tokyo-based Asahi Breweries signed Nishikori in 2015.  Nishikori became the ambassador of the non-alcoholic beer Asahi Dry Zero Free. He has appeared in TV and print advertising and supports Asahi’s ‘Drink Responsibly’ campaign.

Proctor and Gamble

Nishikori partnered with top Olympic 2020 sponsor P&G as a part of its global ‘Proud Sponsor of Moms’ campaign. He will appear in TV and digital advertisements and online films.

Weidec

Weidec is a Japanese company that makes nutritional products.  Nishikori has appeared in ads promoting its products.

Airweave

Airweave has partnered with Nishikori since his early playing days.  Nishikori has mentioned that the Airweave mattress topper’s perfect firmness helps him with his back pain.

NTT

NTT signed Nishikori to be part of the 2020 Olympic advertising campaign. NTT  Group has collaborated with Kei Nishikori on a number of projects, including one to develop a system that enables users to experience the vibrations of facing serves from the Japanese tennis star.