US Open quarter-finalist gave up her American citizenship and refused to represent the USA

Nationality is a big deal in tennis, with players representing their home countries at every tournament including the US Open. Some also fly their flags at international events like the Davis Cup and the women's equivalent named after Billie Jean King. However, some players have chosen to renounce their nationalities and play under the banner of other countries.

Earlier this year, Daria Kasatkina switched her sporting allegiance from Russia to Australia. She had been an outspoken critic of the war in Ukraine and the anti-LGBTQ+ laws in her country of origin. As an openly gay athlete, the 28-year-old chose to play under the Australian flag having been granted permanent residency in March.

Naomi Osaka, meanwhile, plays as a Japanese athlete despite having lived the vast majority of her life in the United States. She was born in Japan but moved to New York with her family when she was just four years old.

When it was time to decide which nationality Osaka would represent, her parents chose Japan with the United States Tennis Association (USTA) not showing a great deal of interest.

Her mother told the Wall Street Journal: "We made the decision that Naomi would represent Japan at an early age. She was born in Osaka and was brought up in a household of Japanese and Haitian culture.

"Quite simply, Naomi and her sister Mari have always felt Japanese so that was our only rationale. It was never a financially motivated decision nor were we ever swayed either way by any national federation."

Osaka, who is through to the quarter-finals of the US Open, explained the decision was mostly her father's choice but she agreed that it made sense for her to represent Japan.

"My dad thought that since I grew up around my mom and I have a lot of Japanese relatives, I don’t know," she told the New York Times. "I don’t necessarily feel like I’m American. I wouldn’t know what that feels like."

Osaka was previously classed a citizen of both countries but relinquished her US citizenship in 2019. She wanted to play for Japan at the following year's Olympics and would not have been allowed to do so as a dual citizen.

The law in Japan also requires dual citizens to choose between their two citizenships by their 22nd birthday. Failure to do so would put a person at risk of losing their Japanese nationality.

The country's Ministry of Justice says: "A person who possesses Japanese and a foreign nationality (a person of dual nationality) shall choose one nationality before he or she reaches 22 years of age.

"Or, within two years after the day when he or she acquired the second nationality if he or she acquired such nationality after the day when he or she reached 20 years of age.

"If he or she fails to choose his or her nationalities, he or she may lose Japanese nationality. So, please don't forget choosing your nationality."

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