Naomi Osaka’s Older Sister, Mari Retires From Tennis At 24, Says It Was A Journey She Didn’t Enjoy

By Edna Wande On Mar 11, 2021

Mari Osaka, elder sister of four-time major-winner Naomi Osaka, has retired from tennis at 24, explaining “it was a journey which I didn’t enjoy”.

The tennis player made her pro debut in 2011, according to the WTA website. She cracked the WTA’s Top 1,000 ranking list in 2012 and made it all the way up to #280 in 2018.

However, Mari never really caught fire on the court, failing to win a major tournament during her career and last played a singles tournament in January.

She is currently ranked #340 in the world and has only amassed over $93,000 in career prize money.

Mari partnered in doubles with her sister Naomi, who is 18 months younger, ranking second in the world and the reigning US and Australian Open champion, at the 2017 Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo.

Announcing her exit earlier this week, Mari via her Instagram page stated that she has retired from tennis, noting that her career was a “journey which [she] didn’t enjoy.”

Writing alongside a photo of an open ocean, Mari stated;

I am retired from playing tennis. It was a journey which I didn’t enjoy ultimately but I’m grateful for all the memories and support I’ve gained and received over the years from the sport.

I’m moving on now so you can look forward to new fun projects upcoming in the future.

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A post shared by Mari Osaka (@mari.osaka)

Mari played the majority of her career on the lower-tier ITF circuit. She only played one match in January 2021, losing in the first round of qualifiers for an ITF event.

The first time she and Naomi were both in the main draw at a WTA-level event was in March 2019, when the two competed in Miami Open.

Naomi, 23, has previously discussed her sister’s tennis skills, sharing that Mari always beat her in matches when they were younger.

Naomi, in a March 2019 interview with The New York Times, said;

Up until I was 15 she was 6-0-ing me, ridiculous. I don’t know what happened, maybe finally something clicked in my head, but for sure she was beating me. In the win-loss record, she’s up by like a million or something.

The sisters still have a tight-knit relationship, so much so that Naomi teased Mari on national television during the Australian Open last month.

Following her major triumph over Serena Williams in the Australian Open women’s singles semifinals, Naomi surprised fans with an interesting message to her sister as she left the court.

After sharing a hug with Williams, Naomi walked over to the camera to write a note on the lens for the viewers at home. The four-time Grand Slam champion used the opportunity to call out her older sister for her “weird” text messages.

The athlete wrote; “Mari, stop sending weird images in the groupchat!”

Her sister Naomi has made close to $20m in prize money with signature victories over superstars like Serena Williams and Jennifer Brady.

Naomi Osaka claimed her fourth Grand Slam title when she beat American Jennifer Brady in the Australian Open final last month.