After one of the most powerful comebacks in recent U.S. Open history, the 2020 Women’s Singles champ Naomi Osaka is ready for some rest and relaxation. The inspiring tennis sensation headed to the Caribbean to celebrate turning 23 on Oct. 16. She shared three photos to her Instagram page on the eve of her big day, wearing a white bikini while chilling at the shore of the clear, aqua blue sea.
Naomi could be seen in the first photo with her normally curly hair cascading in long, thin braids. She sat in the sugary white sand while wearing a white cover up over her two-piece, and had a scrunchie wrapped around her wrist in case she wanted to put up her hair and go for a swim.
Naomi showed off her incredible style sense with a zebra print frame on her sunglasses, with matching long dangle earrings. She added several delicate gold necklaces and a gold ankle bracelet with tiny charms on it. In the accompanying photos, Naomi stood up for fans to get a better look at her beach ensemble, as white sand stuck to her shin from kneeling on the beach. In the third picture, Naomi outstretched her arm so that her followers could get a better look at her fit professional athlete figure in the chic white bikini.
The beach behind her was endless and white, with the clear water making her fans have serious FOMO. Naomi didn’t mention exactly where she was, though the sea color and flat topography seemed to indicate a vacation to the Turks and Caicos. Some of her followers thought she might be in Haiti, as he father Leonard François is Haitian. But the county has more hills and mountains than was seen in the distance of Naomi’s snapshots. All she wrote next to the photos was “chill,” which was exactly what Naomi was doing.
On Sept. 12, Naomi pulled off a stunning come from behind victory at the U.S. Open to beat former world number one, Belarus’ Victoria Azarenka, 31. Naomi — who plays for her mother’s native Japan, though she has called the U.S. home since she was three — was down 1-6 after the first set. But she came roaring back with 6-3, 6-3 sets to take home her second Open title in two years. Naomi beat Serena Williams, 39, in the 2018 final for her first Grand Slam victory. She followed it up by taking home the 2019 Australian Open title.
At the 2020 U.S. Open, Naomi used her power to draw attention to the Black victims of police shootings, attending her matches with the names of six Black victims killed by police brutality (and one shot by George Zimmerman) sewn onto her face masks. She began the tournament wearing one in tribute to Breonna Taylor, and ended with Tamir Rice‘s name. On her quest to the title, she also paid tribute to George Floyd, Elijah McClain, Trayvon Martin, Philandro Castile and Ahmaud Arbery. After her first win in the tourney, she told reporters, “I have seven,” face masks for the US Open. “It’s quite sad that seven masks isn’t enough for the amount of names, so hopefully I’ll get to the finals and you can see all of them.” She got through her names, and made a poignant tribute to the victims in the process.
