Naomi Osaka is telling her story. 

In a new, eponymous Netflix docuseries, the tennis phenom lifts the curtain on her journey to international stardom. The three-part series, directed by Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Garrett Bradley and co-executive produced by LeBron James, follows Osaka’s ascendance after her landmark victory over Serena Williams at the 2018 U.S. Open.

Premiering July 16, Bradley’s refreshingly intimate documentary drops just ahead of Osaka’s return to her sport at the Tokyo Olympics, where she will represent her home country of Japan.

After choosing to withdraw from the French Open in May to preserve her mental health — later announcing she would also be skipping Wimbledon — the world No. 2 has since revealed that she has “suffered long bouts of depression” since winning the 2018 U.S. Open, her first Grand Slam. Although the series does not touch on the current moment, it does quietly color in Osaka’s personal journey leading up to the present, showcasing her progression as both an athlete and a person.

Osaka’s decision to open up about her struggles has transformed the global conversation around athlete mental health and player rights. It also adds a level of depth to her Netflix series, as viewers watch Osaka navigate the wins and losses, as well as the media scrutiny and pressure of celebrity, culminating in the roller-coaster ride that was 2020.

The pressure to win

Like Osaka, the series emulates a warm calmness, or centeredness, even during absorbing retellings of the star’s most difficult times.

Much of the storytelling is left up to Osaka herself, captured through self-recorded videos, which provide candid insight into the tennis star’s life, while also serving as a contrast to the pre-packaged, post-match interviews in which we usually see her.

It’s in one of these selfie videos that Osaka reacts to the death of her mentor, Kobe Bryant, who tragically died during production of the docuseries. The moment feels even more crushing when Osaka reveals she had meant to reach out to the NBA icon to seek guidance amid her recent struggles. Interviews with Osaka’s mother, Tamaki, reveal the lasting gravity Bryant’s death had on Osaka’s emotional state, both on and off the court.

The pressure to win can make it lonely at the top. But in these quiet, private moments, Osaka is remarkably relatable.

Shaped by her heritage and family

“Naomi Osaka of Japan.” — Again and again, viewers hear this echoed as Osaka walks out to meet her competitors.

As the series continues, Osaka explains the significance of being a young woman of mixed heritage. Her father, Leonard Francois, is Haitian, while her mother, Tamaki Osaka, hails from Hokkaido, Japan.

“My dad has always been proud of where he comes from,” Osaka says. “Whenever I’m in hard situations, he’s always told me my ancestors were on a ship for 40 days. I use that as strength.”

Touching home videos of Osaka’s young parents pushing her stroller, as well as clips of Osaka with her younger sister, Mari, practicing their serves as children, help relay the tennis bond that continues to tie this multicultural family together.

Finding her voice

Over the past two years, Osaka has elegantly evolved from a reticent public figure into an outspoken social leader.

At the 2020 U.S. Open, she took a public stand for Black Lives Matter, wearing seven different masks to each of her seven matches. Each mask bore the name of a person of color lost to racial violence, including Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and Elijah McClain. In order for Osaka to display every mask, she had to make the final. In New York, she came from behind to beat Victoria Azarenka and claim her fourth Grand Slam.

“I always had this pressure to maintain this squeaky image, but now, I don’t care what anyone else has to say,” Osaka says when explaining her newfound voice.

As the 2021 ESPY winner for Best Athlete in Women’s Sports, and with plans to return to the WTA circuit after the Tokyo Olympics, now is the perfect time to reflect on just how far Osaka has come. Still just 23 years old, Naomi Osaka showcases a star in transition, one who is still discovering herself on the biggest stage.

With the 2025 NCAA gymnastics season in full swing, top collegiate athletes are already eyeing mid-April's national championship in Fort Worth, Texas.

Unlike elite gymnastics, where difficulty can outweigh execution, the college level values precision over big tricks, so Division I athletes all aim for perfect 10s in their competition performances.

Despite this difference, many of the world's most decorated elite gymnasts also compete in the NCAA. Two-time Olympian Jade Carey is back for her senior season with No. 14 Oregon State while her US teammate in both Tokyo and Paris, Jordan Chiles, is entering her junior year at No. 11 UCLA.

The Bruin, who took the 2024 NCAA season off to prepare for last summer's Olympics, will attempt to reclaim the national titles on uneven bars and floor exercise that she earned in 2023.

Top teams poised for the podium

After earning their first national title last spring, No. 2 LSU is hitting the 2025 mat armed with a stacked roster, headlined by 2024 all-around champion Haleigh Bryant and social media star Livvy Dunne.

Add in last year's freshman phenom Konnor McClain, whose prowess on the balance beam ultimately clinched LSU the NCAA trophy, and 2024 Olympic alternate Kaliya Lincoln, who opened her NCAA career with a 9.825 vault two weeks ago, and the Tigers are more than capable of a back-to-back run.

LSU isn't the only SEC team predicted to make a deep run this season, as the conference is once again flush with perennial contenders.

Elite US stars Kayla DiCello and early Freshman of the Year frontrunner Skye Blakely will join two-time US Olympic alternate Leanne Wong in trying to return No. 7 Florida to the NCAA championship meet. At the same time, new SEC team No. 1 Oklahoma, winner of seven of the last 10 NCAA trophies, could see senior Jordan Bowers de-throne Bryant for the 2025 all-around title.

Also causing early national championship chatter are 2024 finalists No. 5 Cal, who return two of the country's best all-arounders in senior Mya Lauzon and junior eMjae Frazier, and Big Ten champs No. 6 Michigan State, whose veteran-heavy lineup boasts stars Skyla Schulte and Sage Kellerman.

How to watch NCAA gymnastics this weekend

Some of the country's top NCAA gymnasts will take the mat when No. 7 Florida visits No. 2 LSU at 7:30 PM ET on Friday. Live coverage will air on ESPN2.

The NCAA unanimously approved implementing a women's March Madness revenue-sharing plan on Wednesday, aligning the women's side with the compensation program the men’s edition has enjoyed since 1991.

"This is a historic day for women's sports, women's basketball, and the NCAA," said NCAA president Charlie Baker in the college sports governing body's statement. "Today's vote means our members have the opportunity to do even more on campus to promote and support female athletes. I can't wait to see all the incredible things they do."

Sparked by 2021's landmark NCAA gender equity review, the decision ultimately actualized after years of pressure from administrators and coaches.

"The long-awaited, hard fought for, and well-earned day is here," said UNC coach and Women's Basketball Coaches Association president Courtney Banghart. "I am so grateful for the effort of so many to bring this reality to our sport."

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Deep March Madness runs earn more revenue

Beginning this year, each team competing in the Division I tournament will now receive performance-based units of revenue, with deeper runs earning more units.

With plans to grow the prize pool to $25 million by 2028, this year's inaugural $15 million purse represents 26% of the competition's $65 million media rights valuation — putting it proportionally on par with the percentage allocated to the men's fund.

Distributions will begin in 2026 and, like the men’s program, they will be paid directly to conferences, whose member schools will collectively decide how to best invest the unrestricted funds.

For the 2025 edition, a unit will reportedly be worth $113,636. According to ESPN's calculations, a Final Four team could amass approximately $1.26 million for its conference over the next three years.

With conferences and schools set for an influx of funds should their teams flourish at the national tournament, the revenue plan becomes a significant incentive for institutions to further invest in women's basketball.

Ultimately, the NCAA's move not only addresses the sport's equity disparity, it could also bolster the annual tournament's level of competition.

Unrivaled basketball hits the court for the first time on Friday and, according to ESPN, the debut league's style of play will look a little different from the 3×3 Olympic game's rules.

Unlike the half-court version currently played in major international 3x3 basketball competitions, Unrivaled's full-court edition uses slightly smaller court dimensions from a traditional 5×5 setup.

Similarly, the inaugural league's format follows a four-quarter setup, but opts for seven-minute periods rather than the WNBA's 10-minute quarters. The shot clock will also be a speedier 18 seconds versus the professional 5×5 game's 24 seconds.

Unrivaled victories, however, rest solely in fourth-quarter play. This "winning score" quarter denotes that the win goes to the first team to score 11 more points than the highest final third-quarter score. For example, if a game's third quarter ends with a 45-43 scoreline, the first team to post the target score of 56 points in the final period walks away with the victory.

This system essentially eliminates the possibility of overtime. League organizers also hope it deters the late-game fouls used strategically and prolifically in 5×5 contests.

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Unrivaled 3×3 format revamps fouls

Speaking of fouls, Unrivaled is also condensing the free throw system to keep the game moving. Each player has six fouls to give, but each shooting foul will earn a single free throw at the line.

Those awarded free throws, however, will contain different point opportunities depending on the foul incurred. Fouled two-point shots grant a single free throw worth two points, while a free throw awarded from a three-point attempt will be worth three. All and-ones are worth one point.

With six players rostered on each of Unrivaled's six teams, the league also tweaked the traditional rule of fouling out to ensure games can be completed should they become especially chippy. If an athlete fouls out with only three available players left on their team, that player can continue competing. She will instead incur a technical foul — resulting in one opponent free throw — for each additional foul.

The new league's rules all point to Unrivaled's efforts to put an engaging, fast product on the court.

"This game is rooted in how you would play basketball as a kid on a black top," Unrivaled president of basketball operations Luke Cooper told ESPN's Kendra Andrews on Tuesday. "There's flow, there's pace. When you are watching, it feels like you are watching basketball... it's not a gimmick."

The WNBA free agency carousel started spinning this week, with teams evaluating rosters and coring athletes to either retain talent or trade players for a return.

Thus far, cored players include Las Vegas Aces guard Kelsey Plum, New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart, Dallas Wings forward Satou Sabally, and Seattle Storm forward Gabby Williams.

Squads employ single-use coring on WNBA stars

Each of the WNBA's teams can core one unrestricted free agent on their roster, ensuring them exclusive rights to that cored athlete. Cored players receive an offer for a one-year, supermax salary contract, along with the option to negotiate different terms.

Cored athletes are unable to directly sign with another franchise, but they can be part of a trade offer by their coring team.

New York cored Stewart after she expressed interest in remaining with her 2024 WNBA Championship-winning squad. Sabally, on the other hand, will likely be part of a sign-and-trade deal after telling media late last week that she is looking to leave Dallas in 2025.

Plum's situation with the Aces is less clear-cut: The two-time WNBA champion could re-sign with her team, though Las Vegas could be exploring opportunities to cash in should she want to compete elsewhere.

Other offers spark WNBA free agent negotiations

In addition to coring, WNBA teams have also begun sending qualifying offers to certain restricted free agents, allowing them to initiate negotiations with those players.

Most notably, despite making Monday offers to three players — guard Dana Evans, forward Michaela Onyenwere, and forward Nikolina Milić — Chicago has yet to extend a qualifying offer to the Sky's 2024 points-leader Chennedy Carter.

Ultimately, while negotiations kick off next week, WNBA contracts cannot be finalized until free agency revs up in February, meaning more shuffling is on deck as teams gear up for the longest and most competitive roster-building season in recent memory.