Skip to content
Vendor
Mohrbooks Literary Agency
Sebastian Ritscher
Original language
English
Categories

NAOMI OSAKA

Ben Rothenberg

Her Journey to Finding Her Power and Her Voice

A deeply reported, revealing biography of tennis phenomenon and activist Naomi Osaka, telling the untold story behind her Grand Slam-winning career, her headline-making advocacy for racial justice and mental health, and the challenges of a life in the international spotlight.
Naomi Osaka has been everywhere, but how did she get there?

Most tennis fans met the Japanese Haitian American player Naomi Osaka for the first time as they watched her win the 2018 US Open final in an unforgettably controversial and dramatic victory over her idol, Serena Williams. Since then, Osaka has galvanized the tennis world--and gained attention across the culture--not only by winning three more Grand Slams, but also by being fiercely outspoken on matters of social justice and mental health.

It is both her extraordinary talent and her unique point of view that have propelled her to the top of her sport and onto the front page of newspapers and magazines worldwide, making her, in both 2021 and 2022, by far the highest-paid female athlete in the world and a constant focus of conversation and debate on a wide range of social issues.

But until now, the story of the Osaka family's journey across the world to follow their tennis dreams - and how their youngest daughter found her power off the court - has remained little known. It is a story unlike any other, and Ben Rothenberg's biography will not only examine where Osaka came from but also show us where she's going. Through a riveting exploration of the ways Osaka has changed the game on and off the court, Rothenberg reveals the incredible impact Osaka has had in the wider worlds of business, social justice, and mental health.

Ben Rothenberg is a sportswriter from Washington, DC. He has covered Naomi Osaka around the world since she emerged onto the WTA Tour in 2014, both in print for The New York Times and on his podcast, No Challenges Remaining. His work has focused on the intersections of social and cultural issues in tennis. He is a senior editor for Racquet magazine, and has appeared frequently as a tennis expert on international networks such as CNN, the BBC, and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. With an eye for finding stories and dogged determination as a reporter, Rothenberg has become by many metrics the world's leading tennis journalist, including on Twitter, where he has almost 150,000 followers. Ben was recently called "the most powerful tennis journalist in the world" by Zurich newspaper Tages-Anzeiger.
Available products
Book

Published 2024-01-09 by Dutton Books

Book

Published 2024-01-09 by Dutton Books

Comments

A comprehensive look at the career of a young tennis star.

A compelling, comprehensive biography of one of the most fascinating athletes of the past decade. Rothenberg provides essential context for both her on-courtsuccesses and off-court decisions. Even as someone who has covered Osaka's entire career, I learned a lot.

Ben Rothenberg's myriad revelations will inspire re-evaluations of this most reluctant superstar. With uncommon reporting, he examines what drove Osaka andwhat drove her to despair, and in doing so he articulates how she has grown, changed, and changed the game around her.

What is the price of superstardom? Rothenberg had a front-row seat for Naomi Osaka's rise from tennis curiosity to cultural icon and he beautifully captures the ups and downs of her riveting ride.

UK & C: Text ; Chinese (compl.): Ark Culture Publishing House ; Polish: Dressler Dublin ; Romanian: Pilot

Ben Rothenberg is one of the best reporters in the global game of tennis, and he proves it once again with this deep dive into the multicultural phenomenon that is Naomi Osaka.