Former world no.1 and four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka, who signed a sponsorship deal with US-based sports drink, BodyArmor, recently unveiled childhood tennis courts in Queens, days before the start of the US Open.

Now, a couple of months after the tournament got over, BodyArmor was acquired by Coca-Cola for a whopping $5.6 billion(85% stake). One of the early investors of the sports drink brand was late Kobe Bryant.

Sports drink that endorses Naomi Osaka got acquired by Coca-Cola recently

Celebrating the historic achievement, Kobe’s wife Vanessa took to Instagram to appreciate her late husband of the hard-work he put in to make BodyArmor the best sports drink across the US.

“Congratulations Papi!!! This is “no pie in the sky”. You did it! Always one step ahead. I’m so proud of everything you were able to accomplish. I wish you were here to celebrate”, Vanessa wrote.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CVvyS9UPxX6/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

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BodyArmor and Osaka’s partnership started way back in 2019 after the latter won her second US Open title and a third grand slam, overall. Since the partnership, Osaka became an active campaigner for the various initiatives took up by BodyArmor and extended her support.

The company’s subsidiary BodyArmor Lyte also brought in Osaka to promote the product. Currently, BodyArmor is the second preferred sports drink, after Gatorade.

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Coming to Naomi Osaka, the four-time major champion was ousted in the third-round of the US Open by Canadian teenager Leylah Fernandez. Since then, the Japanese player decided to take an indefinite break from the sport and might make her entry at the 2022 Australian Open.

Osaka will most likely start her season at 2022 Australian Open

The conditions at Melbourne suit Osaka’s playing style as she managed to win couple of titles and she will enter the tournament next year as the defending champion, Ever since winning the happy slam at the start of the season, Osaka struggled to maintain consistent form on the WTA tour.

Even during the European clay-court swing, Osaka couldn’t adapt her game style to the surface and ended up with back-to-back defeats. After the French Open controversy, she decided to skip Wimbledon and made a comeback at the US hard-court season.

With the 2021 season almost coming to an end, Osaka can start afresh in Australia next year, forgetting what a nightmare this year has been for her.

Also read: ITF Chief Calls for ‘Mutual Understanding’ Between Players and Media After Naomi Osaka Saga