Naomi Osaka enters Forbes Under 30 Hall of Fame

Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka has been inducted into the Forbes Under 30 Hall of Fame. The 24-year-old is part of a distinguished list that consists of accomplished individuals across various fields. Osaka is one of only two sportspeople in the Hall of Fame, the other being NBA superstar LeBron James.

The Japanese is the highest-paid female athlete in the world and despite her struggles on the court this year, she has remained in the spotlight for being vocal about mental health.

"Fresh off beating Serena Williams to claim the 2018 U.S. Open women's title and ranked the No. 1 tennis player in the world, Osaka joined the Under 30 list at age 21," the Japanese's Forbes profile reads.

"Osaka is the highest-paid female athlete ever, earning more than any previous such woman in both 2020 and 2021. While her ranking dropped to No. 13 in 2021, her star power and influence rose when she pulled out of the French Open after being threatened with a fine for declining press interviews. She has since become a champion of mental health."

Naomi Osaka's ranking may have fallen but her popularity continues to rise

Osaka's performances suffered a dip in recent months

Naomi Osaka initially made her mark as a promising newcomer in 2016, but it was only in 2018 that she was catapulted to superstardom. That year, Osaka won the Miami Masters and her first Grand Slam in New York and finished in the top five of the WTA rankings.

In 2019, she won the Australian Open and became the World No.1 while also winning the China Open. Osaka's success continued as she won her second US Open title in 2020 and her second Australian Open in 2021.

2021 was a mixed season for Osaka. After winning the first Grand Slam of the year, she exited early from the French Open, the Olympics in Tokyo and the US Open.

Following her third-round exit at the US Open in 2021, Osaka announced that she would be taking a break from tennis, saying:

"Basically, I feel like I’m at this point where I’m trying to figure out what I want to do, and I honestly don’t know when I’m going to play my next tennis match. Yeah. I think I’m going to take a break from playing for a while."

Osaka's ranking has fallen to 13, but her popularity continues to be on the rise. The 24-year-old is currently the highest-earning female athlete in the world and 12th overall, according to Forbes.

Osaka made quite a name for herself not just with her on-court exploits but off-court activities as well. The Japanese has been vocal, not just about mental health, but also about social justice. She withdrew from the 2020 Cincinnati Masters as a show of protest against racial injustice.

A few months ago, Osaka said that she would donate all her prize money from the Cincinnati Masters to support relief efforts in Haiti, which was hit by a 7.2 magnitude earthquake.

Osaka has not confirmed when she will be returning to tennis. However, many fans surely want to see her back on court.