Naomi Osaka Teams Up With Sweetgreen as 1st Athlete Ambassador, Youngest Investor

Athletes understand the importance of quality, healthy food to fuel their bodies in order to compete and thrive, and one tennis superstar has teamed up with a fast-casual restaurant chain that shares the same winning values.

Sweetgreen announced its new partnership with tennis star Naomi Osaka exclusively to “Good Morning America,” and Nathaniel Ru, co-founder and chief brand officer, explained why the four-time Grand Slam champion was a perfect match.

Osaka is the company’s first national athlete ambassador as well as Sweetgreen’s youngest investor, and she hopes to use her role to change the way brands and athletes speak about the importance of what people eat.

The team first met the 23-year-old No. 2 ranked Japanese tennis star through mutual friends last year, and Ru said the now Los Angeles-based athlete is “a regular customer [who] comes in a few times a week to help fuel her for training.”

In celebration of their partnership, Sweetgreen and Osaka are jointly supporting The Asian American Foundation in its effort to advance equity, with 100% of sales from every Naomi Osaka Bowl on May 26 going to support AAPI-led organizations increasing food access in AAPI communities.