Naomi Osaka responds to 'too sunburned' comment with plug for sponsor's sunscreen

"'Too sunburned' lol that's wild," Osaka said on Twitter late on Sunday. "Little did they know, with Shiseido Anessa perfect UV sunscreen I never get sunburned."

Naomi Osaka of Japan hits a return against Jessica Pegula of the US in their women's singles first round match at the WTA China Open tennis tournament in Beijing on September 29, 2019. / AFP / WANG ZHAO
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Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka has responded to a comedy duo's remarks that claimed she was "too sunburned" and "needed some bleach" with some wit of her own by plugging cosmetic giant - and sponsor - Shiseido.

The comedians apologised after their remarks at a live event on September 22, the same day Osaka won the Pan Pacific Open, although neither they nor their management company referred to Osaka by name.

"'Too sunburned' lol that's wild," Osaka said on Twitter late on Sunday. "Little did they know, with Shiseido Anessa perfect UV sunscreen I never get sunburned."

Osaka, born in Japan to a Haitian father and Japanese mother but raised in the United States, has been embraced by Japan despite its long history as a racially homogeneous country.

She is one of a group of successful mixed-race athletes, such as US professional basketball player Rui Hachimura and sprinter Abdul Hakim Sani Brown, helping to change that view.

In January, Japanese noodle company Nissin removed a commercial, in which a cartoon character depicting Osaka was shown with pale skin and light brown hair, after it prompted an outcry.