OSAKA SET TO COIN IT IN AS JAPAN’S FIRST SLAM WINNER

AT THE age of 20 Naomi Osaka is set to become one of the highest earners in sport in the wake of her stunning triumph over Serena Williams in the US Open final. Long after the controversy involving her opponent has died down, the cosmopolitan 20-year-old will reap the dividend from the hugely lucrative Asian market. Osaka’s affairs are overseen by a Scot, Stuart Duguid, who works for management giant IMG. There was huge corporate interest in her even before she became the first Japanese winner of a singles Grand Slam. Osaka (below) was due to announce a significant new blue chip sponsor this Thursday, and her adidas clothing deal is up for renewal at the end of the season and could be worth somewhere approaching £7.7million annually. ‘She’s from Japan with a multicultural background from Haiti and the United States, so she has the full package,’ said Duguid. ‘She is very honest and down to earth and people are relating to that. She’s going to have a very successful career on and off the court.’ Duguid has been working with her for more than two years and has got to know her tight-knit family. ‘The family are really nice, very loyal and hardworking people who put everything into their daughters. Her mother (Tamaki) was working full time until nine months ago in an office job with Mitsubishi in Miami.’ Williams was Osaka’s childhood hero and the events of Saturday night will not change that. ‘I don’t know what happened on the court,’ said Osaka. ‘I’m always going to remember the Serena that I love. It doesn’t change anything for me. She was really nice to me at the net and on the podium.’