Osaka gets her own comic-book character

Japan's major winner Naomi Osaka has welcomed a new manga comic-book series aimed at teenage girls in which she will star as a cartoon character.

"Unrivaled Naomi Tenka-ichi", which will run in Nakayosi magazine from late December, was produced with the help of Osaka's older sister, Mari. "Tenka-ichi" means "world number one" in Japanese.

"Growing up reading manga/watching anime was something that bonded me and my sister immensely so this is really exciting for both of us," the three-time Grand Slam champion tweeted.

The new character, which depicts a doe-eyed Osaka with pink and purple hair and wearing a yellow visor, follows a storm of controversy over a sponsor's cartoon image of her last year.

Noodle-maker Nissin apologized and withdrew the image, which showed Osaka with pale skin and light brown hair, after being accused of "white-washing" the Japanese-Haitian player.

Xinhua-Agencies