Nationality carries enormous weight in tennis, with athletes proudly representing their home nations at every tournament including the US Open. Many also wave their flags at international competitions like the Davis Cup and the women’s equivalent named after Billie Jean King.
Yet some players have made the bold decision to abandon their original nationalities and compete under different countries’ banners.
Naomi Osaka, who has risked the wrath of US Open chiefs, competes as a Japanese player despite spending most of her existence in America. She entered the world in Japan but relocated to New York alongside her family at just four years of age.
When the moment arrived to determine which nation Osaka would represent, her parents selected Japan with the United States Tennis Association (USTA) failing to demonstrate significant enthusiasm.
Her mother revealed to the Wall Street Journal: “We made the decision that Naomi would represent Japan at an early age. She was born in Osaka and was brought up in a household of Japanese and Haitian culture.
“Quite simply, Naomi and her sister Mari have always felt Japanese so that was our only rationale. It was never a financially motivated decision nor were we ever swayed either way by any national federation.”
Osaka, who has advanced to the quarter-finals of the US Open, shared that the decision was primarily her father’s, but she agreed it made sense for her to represent Japan.
“My dad thought that since I grew up around my mom and I have a lot of Japanese relatives, I don’t know,” she revealed to the New York Times. “I don’t necessarily feel like I’m American. I wouldn’t know what that feels like.”
Previously, Osaka held dual citizenship with both countries but gave up her US citizenship in 2019. She wanted to compete for Japan in the following year’s Olympics, which would not have been possible as a dual citizen.
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Japanese law mandates dual citizens to choose between their two citizenships by their 22nd birthday. Failure to comply could result in the loss of their Japanese nationality.
The country’s Ministry of Justice states: “A person who possesses Japanese and a foreign nationality (a person of dual nationality) shall choose one nationality before he or she reaches 22 years of age.
“Or, within two years after the day when he or she acquired the second nationality if he or she acquired such nationality after the day when he or she reached 20 years of age.
“If he or she fails to choose his or her nationalities, he or she may lose Japanese nationality. So, please don’t forget choosing your nationality.”
AloJapan.com