New York, New York - One of tennis’ top players made a gracious appearance in the Big Apple as she won Best Female Athlete honors at the 2021 ESPY Awards.

Naomi Osaka is this year’s Best Female Athlete at the ESPY’s, ESPN’s annual honors ceremony showcasing the year’s best athletes, moments in sports, and sources of athletic inspiration.

The event took place in New York this year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I just want to say thank you to ESPN, thank you all the supporters, thank you to my fans. I know this year has been really tough for a lot of us, and for me, I just want to say I really love you guys," she said in her acceptance speech.

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Osaka, the world’s highest-paid female athlete, attended the awards ceremony in person, waling the red carpet for a slew of photographers. She hasn’t made any public appearances since she withdrew before the second round of the French Open last month, to deal with mental health difficulties.

The 23-year-old recently published a personal essay in Time magazine, opening up about the anxiety that press appearances cause her and asking the media "for some level of privacy and empathy."

Osaka has won four Grand Slam events in her eight-year career and is currently ranked second in WTA standings. She recently opted out of playing in Wimbledon, which is wrapping up this weekend.

She will however compete in the Tokyo Summer Olympics, under her native flag of Japan.