Naomi Osaka And Her Family Collaborate On New Yonex Racket Design

Naomi Osaka isn’t the only Osaka intertwined with the four-time major winner’s tennis gear. Osaka worked with her sister, Mari Osaka, to design a fresh aesthetic for her Yonex Ezone racket and bag in time for the Silicon Valley Classic, a WTA 500 event in San Jose. And it was the sisters’ mother, Tamaki, who served as a muse in the form of a childhood memory.

When starting the design process with the Yonex Research & Development team, the two sisters used inspiration form their childhood, when their mother visualized the duo as dragons, representing great power, good luck and strength.

Mari then began sketching a dragon and found that a spiritual spider lily would complete the design. And since the spider lily also represents strength and beauty because “the power of a woman is that she can combine the two,” she says, it was a natural fit to work the two into the same artistic visualization.

“The dragons represent an unwavering fighting spirit,” Mari says. “I hope the racket gives Naomi strength and confidence every time she steps on the court, even when I’m not with her.”

With the dragon and lily dialed in, Mari added gold and purple to complete the look.

“My sister and I have always talked about designing a racket and to see it come to life is really special,” Naomi says. “The design is so detailed and unique.”

Naomi debuts the racket in San Jose and plans to use it in Toronto, Cincinnati and New York City at the U.S. Open, where she is a two-time champion.

“I’m so excited to finally be able to use the Osaka Ezone and bag in competition,” she says.

A unique visual aesthetic—a norm for Yonex, which has sponsored Naomi since her youth and offered up previous Osaka-specific designs, although none as intricate as the current iteration—overlays on the seventh generation Ezone racket technology. While Naomi uses the Osaka Ezone 98 with Polytour Strike 125 string, the Osaka Ezone racket will be available on Aug. 25 in a 98, 100, 100L and 100SL options.

MORE: Naomi Osaka Charting A Fresh Business Path

The same aesthetic from the racket makes its way to a much larger canvas on the Osaka Pro Series bag, available in the six-racket and nine-racket sizes.

“It was an incredible experience to make my and Naomi’s vision come to life with the team at Yonex,” Mari says. “I really enjoyed the process and hope that anyone who uses our racket will find their inner strength to play at their very best.”