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– Naomi Osaka has left IMG to start her own agency, she told Sportico.
– Osaka’s sports agency, Evolve, will be stylized in all capital letters as EVOLVE. She is forming the agency with agent Stuart Duguid, who also is leaving IMG.
– Osaka’s contract with IMG expired at the end of last year and talks of renewing the deal were unfruitful.
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– “I’ve spent my career doing things my way, even when people told me that it wasn’t what was expected or traditional,” the 24-year-old Osaka told Sportico in an email. “Evolve is the natural next step in my journey as both an athlete and businesswoman, as well as a way to continue being myself and doing things my way.”
– Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam champion, told Sportico: “I strongly believe in the power athletes have to use our platforms to drive meaningful business.”
– She is ranked 20th on Sportico’s 2022 list of the world’s highest-paid athletes with prize money and endorsements totaling $53.2 million and is the top earner among women on Sportico’s list.
– According to Sportico, Osaka has equity in approximately 12 brands. She also founded Kinlo, a skincare company, and has her own swimwear and sleepwear lines.
– Duguid, who along with Osaka will have an equity stake in Evolve, told Sportico in a telephone interview that the agency will likely only consider adding a few clients. He and Osaka will invest in businesses together, he said.
– “The core of Evolve is building Naomi’s business from $50 million a year to $150 million a year,” Duguid told the website.
