Naomi Osaka met up with Elmo to teach the Sesame Street crew about melanin
- Tennis superstar Naomi Osaka is headed to Sesame Street.
- In an episode airing Thursday, the 4-time Grand Slam champ taught Elmo and the crew about melanin.
With the 2022 tennis season on the horizon and the Australian Open just weeks away, Naomi Osaka has a busy January ahead of her.
And even though the 24-year-old superstar is already Down Under preparing for the first Grand Slam of the year, she somehow found time to go where the air is sweet.
Back in September, Osaka joined Elmo and the Muppet crew on "Sesame Street" to film an episode for the show's 52nd season. She shared a selfie with the famous red character on Twitter, and Elmo replied that he'd "ask Mommy and Daddy to put this selfie on our fridge!"
Now, Osaka's episode is finally set to air. The four-time Grand Slam champion told PopSugar that she used her spot on the iconic children's program "to talk about two things I am passionate about... tennis and education when it comes to sun protection."
In a clip from the episode first shared by PopSugar, Osaka agrees to teach Elmo and his friends — Charlie and Segi — how to play tennis. But first, the Japanese tennis player insists that they all need to put on sunscreen.
Segi, a Black muppet, isn't sure whether she also needs to wear sunscreen since her "skin is a different color than Charlie's skin." So with a little help from an anthropomorphic sunscreen bottle called "Super Sunscreen," Osaka explains how sunscreen benefits people — and muppets — of all complexions.
"See, everybody's skin has something called melanin in it," Osaka begins. "People with dark skin, like [Segi] and me, have lots of it."
"We all have different amounts of melanin in our skin," she continues. "That's why our skin comes with so many different colors."
While melanin helps protect skin from sun damage, sunscreen can act as "a melanin helper" to add even more protection.Visors, which Osaka says she likes to wear on the tennis court, are "good melanin helpers, too." Then she doles out visors for everyone.
Finally, with sunscreen rubbed in and visors atop heads, the group is ready to play. Super Sunscreen even asks to join the action to get "some tips on my forehand."
But before they can head to the court, Osaka realizes she doesn't have her racket. And while Super Sunscreen nearly saves the day with a replacement racket, it turns out to be far too small for the 5-foot-11 power hitter.
"Sesame Street" fans can catch Osaka's episode Thursday on HBO Max. Check out the sneak peek below: