Tennis Star Naomi Osaka Lands 2021 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Cover

Tennis star Naomi Osaka will grace the cover of Sports Illustrated's 2021 Swimsuit edition.

John Maakaron | Jul 19, 2021

Sports Illustrated announced on Monday the three individuals who would grace the cover of the 2021 Swimsuit edition.

Tennis star Naomi Osaka, rapper Megan Thee Stallion and Leyna Bloom all have been chosen as cover models for this year's edition.

According to SI Swimsuit, "The three were photographed separately in locations across the U.S. from Florida to California. The result is three separate history-making covers showcasing three groundbreaking women."

"If there's one thing that our cover models have in common, it's that they don't have one thing in common. They look different, have different upbringings, have different passions and inspirations. But each is a reminder that beauty comes in many forms," Sports Illustrated Swimsuit editor-in-chief MJ Day explained.

Osaka, 23, is an established star in the tennis world. She has won four Grand Slam titles in her career, and will be heading to Tokyo to compete in the Olympics.

She was listed among the 2020 Sports Illustrated Sportspersons of the Year for her activism, and now earns the distinction of being the first female Black athlete to grace an SI Swimsuit cover.

"What drew us to Naomi was her passion, strength and power geared toward consistently breaking barriers when it comes to equality, social justice and mental health. She is wholeheartedly dedicated to achieving the impossible and has succeeded time and again. We are so honored to have one of the fiercest female trailblazers in history as one of our 2021 covers," Day said.

Join the AllLions Community

Become a premium AllLions member, which grants you access to all of our premium content and gets you a FREE subscription to Sports Illustrated! Click on the link below for more

BECOME A MEMBER

Published Jul 19, 2021

JOHN MAAKARON

John Maakaron has covered Detroit Sports since 2013. Brings a vast array of experience covering the Detroit Tigers, Detroit Lions, Michigan Wolverines, Michigan State Spartans, Detroit Mercy Titans, and Oakland University Golden Grizzlies. John brings a wealth of sports broadcast experience. In 2013, John had the vision to establish the Detroit Sports Podcast Network. Has recorded over 3000 podcasts analyzing Detroit Sports. In 2019, Sports Illustrated Media Group, a historical sports media outlet, partnered with Detroit Sports Podcast to provide daily Lions content for their growing and expanding digital media outlet. Our Lions content can also be read in the newspaper at The Oakland Passionate about Detroit Sports and it is reflected in his coverage of the local teams!