Naomi Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam champion, is leaving IMG to form Evolve, her own sports agency.
According to media reports on Wednesday, Stuart Duguid, the multiple grand slam champion's longtime agent, has quit IMG to form a new firm alongside the 24-year-old Japanese. Former world number one, Naomi Osaka appeared to corroborate the news when she retweeted an article about the transfer with three rocketship emojis.
She also posted a montage of recordings from her previous playing days in which she explained her professional goals, with the statement: "Hey kid, you've come a long way and even though there's been some bumps on the road I hope you know you're doing amazing."
Currently, Naomi Osaka was set to begin her 2022 Italian Open campaign in Rome against Sara Sorribes Tormo, who had defeated her just a week before in Madrid. However, the four-time Grand Slam champion is still recovering from an injury and does not want to miss the season's second Grand Slam, the 2022 Roland Garros. As a result, Osaka has opted to skip the 2022 Italian Open in order to properly recover in time for Paris.
"Unfortunately I’m going to have to withdraw from Rome as the injury which I picked up last week in Madrid hasn’t healed yet," Osaka said in a statement. "It’s an Achilles injury so I need to be careful especially in advance of Roland Garros. I love this city and always enjoy playing in front of the Italian fans so I will be sorry to miss them – but look forward to coming back next year."
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