20-year-old Naomi Osaka defeated American Serena Williams on Sept 8th to become the first Japanese player to claim a Grand Slam singles crown. What's that got to do with cars? Well, Nissan hopes it's the start of a champion's reign, and that Osaka will be the next Jordan, Willams, or Tiger.

It doesn't hurt that she's a good looking young woman, and that she's haafu... so, making huge headlines and tons of free publicity (like the article you are reading right now)

Naomi Osaka, who was born in Japan to a Haitian-born father and Japanese mother and raised in the United States since age 3, now has a GTR of her own, and a 3 year contract.

Nissan is putting a lot of weight on there never being a tennis player from Japan to reach international stardom, and, well, there still isn't from what I just typed. Maybe this shows that very conservative country is loosening up a bit, or, just pouncing to try and get the next Tiger Woods, Serena Williams, Micheal Jordan, Lewis Hamilton, etc as their brand ambassador before anyone else does.

Publicly at least – Japan is changing.
 In 2015, Ariana Miyamoto became the first biracial woman crowned Miss Japan.
 Then Priyanka Yoshikawa, who has Indian heritage, won Miss World Japan in 2016.




The mega star level of brand ambassador identity seems to have worked out pretty damn well for Nike, and a mega star would help Nissan out... I can't recall them ever having one before. Why they didn't choose someone in the vehicular field? Like some one who created, designed, or raced the GTR? I'll guess the language issue... maybe it's not going to work internationally without a fluent English and Japanese speaker. There are 4 takumi in Nissan... why can't they get the spokesman position? Perhaps it's youth, sports achievement's free publicity, and being female.

Must suck to be Jann Mardenborough right now, he was dropped from the 50 Most Marketable althletes list after 2016, and Naomi Osaka was number 27 for 2018  http://www.sportspromedia.com/most-marketable

Why wasn't 23 time grand slam winner Serena Williams ever approached for the job? Probably her attitude, and ugly public use of it, where as Naomi Osaka is a clean slate. Ironically Williams match with Osaka was the most recent of her public tantrums. And the reputation of the Japanese is well known for respecting decorum...





Osaka turned pro in 2013 and qualified for the Women's Tennis Association tour championship at age 16, debuting at the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford, Calif.
In 2016, Osaka qualified to enter her first Grand Slam tournament, the Australian Open, and made it into the third round. The same season, she also reached the third round of the French Open and the U.S. Open.

In October 2016, she was the runner-up at the Toray Pan Pacific Open. The performance earned her the title of "WTA Newcomer of the Year."

In March 2018, she became the first half Japanese woman to win a Premier Mandatory event, at the WTA Indian Wells tour.

On Sept. 8, 2018, Osaka became the first half Japanese player to win a women's singles Grand Slam.

World rank: 7th (as of Sept. 10, 2018)

Although the money involved in this contract was not announced, the deal comes a week after Osaka’s rumored $8.5 million partnership with Adidas, the biggest endorsement deal of any female athlete at the apparel company.

“With a combination of grit and grace, Naomi Osaka is not afraid to take on the best tennis players of our time and win,” said Asako Hoshino, svp at Nissan, in a statement. “This is the same spirit of performance that Nissan has embodied throughout our history.”

Maybe I'm simply ignorant (after all, I'm just a car guy) of the way the world describes people now, mixed race people seem to be referred to whichever race they find most useful? Pres Obama is half, Naomi Osaka is half, but they are referred to by the opposite race. Anyone else find that odd? If Pres Obama is the first black president, because he appears so, then how does Naomi Osaka find her self referred to as Japanese, when she doesn't appear to be Japanese, and has lived in Florida for the past 6/7ths of her life?

Damned if I know. I'm just glad she was who Nissan turned to, and not Serena.

https://www.sbs.com.au/news/australian-cartoonist-defends-serena-williams-sketch-labelled-racist-by-jk-rowling
http://www.autonews.com/article/20180913/RETAIL03/180919866/nissan-osaka-brand-ambassador-japan
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/naomi-osaka-a-new-role-model-for-japan-s-biracial-citizens
https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/tennis-champ-naomi-osaka-inks-brand-ambassador-deal-with-nissan/
https://www.ebony.com/entertainment-culture/naomi-osaka-becomes-brand-ambassador-for-nissan