Naomi Osaka announces her departure from the sports agency EVOLVE, which she co-founded.

On December 20 local time, Japanese star and four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka announced her exit from Evolve, the sports agency she co-established with her former agent Stuart Duguid. Osaka’s statement confirmed a report by American journalist Ben Rosenberg from the day before, which stated that her three-year contract with Evolve had expired and she would be returning to IMG, where Duguid served as her agent from 2016 to 2021.

Naomi Osaka wrote on social media: "I’m posting to let everyone know that I will be leaving Evolve next year. We shared some wonderful moments together, and I truly cherish all the memories we created." She added that she would share more updates off the court soon. "I will announce my next steps once they are decided. Thank you all for your continuous support, and I’m very excited for the upcoming year!"

After her initial contract with IMG ended, Naomi Osaka and Duguid launched the Evolve project together in 2022. Kyrgios and Jabeur were the first two players to sign with the agency, whose client list also includes current world No.1 Sabalenka, who ended her partnership with IMG in January and nearly doubled her off-court earnings this year; as well as the youngest player in the current women’s top 100, 18-year-old American Yovitch, along with Atman, Lees, and Karinskaya.

Naomi Osaka (Photo: Visual China)

In 2025, Naomi Osaka experienced her most successful season since returning from maternity leave, reaching the finals of the WTA250 Auckland tournament early in the year and the WTA1000 Montreal event in August. After parting ways mid-year with former coach Moratoglou, Osaka posted a 14-4 record under the guidance of Viktorovsky, former coach of Swiatek, including a semifinal appearance at the US Open. She finished the season ranked 16th in the world and will begin her 2026 season at the United Cup.

(Translation/ Wang Fei)