This week, Naomi Osaka embarks on the latest chapter in her life as she launches a new management company for athletes. Founded alongside Stuart Duguid, her longtime agent, the new company named Evolve aims to help push fellow athletes to greater heights.
“Evolve represents the evolution of not just my business career, but also the way athletes can control their destiny,” Osaka said in a statement. “I’ve always thrived on pushing the boundaries and challenging the status quo. Stuart and I have been business partners for years now so it’s a very natural and inspiring move to make.”
“Athletes have completely changed the dynamics of what’s possible in the corporate world. They are no longer just ambassadors for hire, but true partners, vocal advocates and culture shifters,” Duguid added. “This agency is about supporting the next generation of athletes who want to continue building on the foundation laid by athletes like Naomi, but who are also doing things their own way.”
Naomi Osaka’s resume speaks for itself. Aside from being one of the highest-paid women in sports, she currently has four-time Grand Slam champions under her belt and achieved undeniable success in the world of endorsements. During Osaka and Duguid’s seven-year partnership, the pair has been able to secure deals collaborations with major brands like Nike, Mastercard, Sweetgreen, Levi’s, FTX and Louis Vuitton. In all, she has earned over $60 million in prize money and endorsements in 2021. She was previously repped by IMG.
She also has a three-episode documentary series about her life that was released by Netflix on July 16, 2021. In terms of ventures, back in September, the tennis player announced the launch of her brand new skin care line for melanin-rich skin tones. The brand name KINLÒ — a combination of the Japanese and Creole translations for the word “gold” — pays homage to her roots, while the idea for the line itself came after her bad experience with a sunburn.