- Tennis pro Naomi Osaka said the social media hype on Dogecoin has stirred her interest in cryptocurrency.
- Before considering crypto investment, the sportswoman earlier sold a series of NFT collectibles.
Japanese professional tennis player Naomi Osaka is about to explore the crypto world, stating that Dogecoin caught her attention. According to the pro tennis player is considering crypto investment due to the buzz around Dogecoin.
As a fourth-time Grand Slam singles champion in the last three years, Osaka has grown to become a giant in the tennis sector. Also, the athlete is now at the top of the World’s Tennis Association (WTA). With her numerous achievements in sports, the sportswoman is about to explore the crypto world.
Osaka to invests in crypto as Dogecoin spurs interest
According to the tennis player, her agent talked to her about investing in cryptocurrency. Before the conversation, Osaka said she knew about Dogecoin and the possibility of the digital asset to soar. She explained in an interview:
I was actually just talking with my agent about cryptocurrencies. I know that online, everything is getting bigger. I remember reading about Dogecoin… there’s going to be something new and interesting that’s going to pop up.
Speaking further, Osaka revealed that she has been reading on Dogecoin on Twitter. She noted that there had been continuous talks on Dogecoin on her Twitter feed which triggered her interest in the cryptocurrency before the conversation she had with her agent.
Before considering investing in Dogecoin, Osaka has been exploring the non-fungible token (NFT) market. Same as Osaka, several other athletes have also debuted into the growing NFT market. In August, the popular NFT marketplace OpenSea surpassed $3 billion in volume. In the first half of the year, the entire NFT space increased to $2.5 billion in its trading volume.
Osaka’s NFT collectibles
The sportswoman released a series of NFT collectibles in April. The NFTs were designed by the athlete’s sister Mari Osaka who was also a professional tennis player until retirement. Sales of the NFTs generated about $600,000 to support Naomi Osaka’s Play Academy. Also, one of the NFTs which was won in a raffle for just $5 is now on a secondary marketplace. For a secondary listing, the NFT is now up at an asking price of $200,000.
More recently, sport-centric NFT startup Autograph.io released a series of the athletes’ NFT collectibles. The NFT series were available on DraftKings Marketplace until they were completely sold out. All the collectibles were up for between $12 and $1,500. After selling for $1,500 each, some “Ruby Signed” NFTs are now available on DragKings’ secondary marketplace. The secondary listing now places the NFTs at a minimum of $350,000 a piece.
In a 25th of August Tweet, Osaka announced:
Don’t miss out on the chance to grab one of my first NFTs Autograph Premier Preseason Access Passes drop today at 3PM ET: autograph.io
With the rise in sports collectibles, Autograph listed the first NFTs from Olympic gymnast Simone Biles as August ended.
