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Leonard Francois and Tamaki Osaka met in Japan in the 90s.
They have two daughters: Marie and Naomi.
Leonard and Tamaki are often seen cheering Naomi on at tennis matches.
Naomi Osaka’s parents, Leonard Francois and Tamaki Osaka, supported her tennis career from the very beginning.
The couple first met in the ’90s, when Leonard was a college student in Japan and Tamaki was finishing high school. The couple began dating, but kept their relationship a secret from their family.
According to Tamaki, when she was in her early 20s, her father began urging her to consider an arranged marriage. New York Times. When she revealed her relationship with Leonard, her father did not approve and the couple moved to Osaka.
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Leonard and Tamaki had two daughters: Marie in 1996 and Naomi in 1997. When Naomi was 3 years old, the family moved to the United States, where the sisters learned to play tennis. Leonard was inspired to teach the sport to his daughters by Serena Williams and Venus Williams’ father, Richard Williams.
Naomi has quickly become one of the top tennis stars in the world, winning the US Open in 2018 and 2020 and the Australian Open in 2019 and 2021. In July 2023, her daughter Shai was born.
Her parents were also there to cheer her on from the stands at Wimbledon 2026. After defeating Aryna Sabalenka on July 5, she will continue her path to the quarterfinals.
Here’s everything you need to know about Naomi Osaka’s parents, Leonard Francois and Tamaki Osaka.
Leonard and Tamaki grew up in different places.
Naomi Osaka celebrates with her parents in 2019.
Photo: SportsPressJP/AFLO/Alamy
Leonard was born in Haiti, and Tamaki grew up in Japan. Both cultures were present in their daily lives and were an integral part of their daughters’ upbringing.
“Japanese culture? I love everything about it… and Haiti, if you’ve ever met Haitians, they’re very positive and literally, if you’re friends with them, they’ll do anything for you,” Naomi said in a 2018 interview. “It’s a really good trait and I’m really glad my grandparents and my dad’s family are like that.”
In July 2020, Osaka spoke about her identity again by writing an essay for a magazine. Esq“For as long as I can remember, people have struggled to define me. “I’ve never fit into one description, but people are so quick to label me.”
“Is she Japanese? American? Haitian? Black? Asian?” she continued. “Well, I am all of these things at once.”
Leonard and Tamaki met in Japan.
Naomi Osaka and Leonard Francois in 2019.
Photo: Julian Finney/Getty
Osaka’s parents first met in Japan when Leonard was in college and Tamaki was finishing high school. They kept their relationship a secret for years until Tamaki’s father tried to arrange a marriage for her.
According to New York TimesTamaki’s father was upset when he found out about Leonard. Tamaki and Leonard then moved to Osaka together, where their daughters Marie and Naomi were born in 1996 and 1997, respectively.
Leonard was inspired by Richard Williams.
Leonard Francois and Naomi Osaka in 2019.
Photo: Yoshio Tsunoda/AFLO/Alamy
Although Leonard had no background or experience in tennis, he was inspired by the Williams sisters’ father, Richard.
After watching the Williams sisters compete in 1999, Leonard began studying and carefully watching videos to train Naomi and Marie. In 2006, he even moved his family to Florida so they could have more training opportunities.
“The plan was already ready. I just had to follow it,” he said. New York Times. He also taught girls to play the sport on clay courts, as Richard did with his daughters.
“I don’t know if there are any little kids here today, but I was little watching her play,” Naomi said after playing Serena at the 2021 Australian Open, according to ESPN. “And just to be on the court playing against her is a dream come true for me.”
They always supported Naomi in her passion.
Leonard Francois and Tamaki Osaka in 2021.
Photo: MediaPunch Inc/Alamy
Naomi praised her parents and their support morally, financially and athletically.
“As a child, my dream was to win Grand Slams and become number one in the world,” she explained to PEOPLE in May 2021. “Although it hasn’t been easy, my family is dedicated to helping me gain the access I need to achieve my goals. But, unfortunately, not all girls have the same opportunities as me.”
Naomi said she witnessed her mother “work incredibly hard to support me and my passion for the game.”
The tennis pro concluded: “She always put others first and encouraged me to embrace my diversity. Every role model I had inspired me to dream big. Level up in every way.”
Although Naomi noted that she was very lucky, she praised her parents for the extra work they took on to provide her with such opportunities.
“I come from a mother who worked almost my entire childhood to help me play tennis. My father, who was with me all this time. And I knew it was very difficult for them,” she told CBS News in May 2022. “Tennis is an expensive sport. So just to put two kids through this and I think to believe in them so much is something that I always call my parents a little crazy.”
Naomi’s parents helped her decide to represent Japan in the Olympics.
Leonard Francois and Tamaki Osaka with Naomi Osaka in 2019.
Photo: Yoshio Tsunoda/AFLO/Alamy
Naomi renounced her US citizenship in October 2019 in order to represent Japan at the 2021 Summer Olympics. She has previously spoken about how deeply involved she is in the culture of her home country, Japan.
“We made the decision that Naomi would represent Japan at an early age,” Tamaki said in the Netflix docuseries about her daughter. Naomi Osakafor Newsweek. “She was born in Osaka and raised in a family of Japanese and Haitian culture. Simply put, Naomi and her sister Marie always felt Japanese and that was our only reason. This decision was never financially motivated and we were never influenced by any national federation.”
In the documentary, Naomi revealed that she had been “playing under the Japanese flag” since she was 14 and that it was “never even a secret” that she would play for them. However, she noted that she received some backlash for not playing for the United States.
“I don’t choose America, and suddenly people say, ‘Your black card has been revoked.’ And it’s like the African American isn’t the only black, you know?” she shared.
Her father worked professionally as Naomi’s trainer.
Leonard Francois and Naomi Osaka in 2022.
Photo: Robert Prange/Getty
In 2019, Naomi broke up with coach Jermaine Jenkins, and her father temporarily became her coach.
“He annoys me so much that it just makes me angry, and I use anger as fuel to win,” Naomi once said of Leonard, laughing during an October 2019 press conference.
She went on to describe her father’s coaching style as “simple” and called it “not very dominant.”
When a reporter asked if Naomi planned to keep Leonard as her coach, the tennis player replied: “No, deuces. It was good while it lasted.”
They decided to give their daughters the surname Tamaki.
Tamaki Osaka and Naomi Osaka in 2018.
Photo: Aflo Co. Ltd. / Alami
“Osaka” is Tamaki’s maiden name, which is also the name of the city in which Naomi was born. Both Naomi and Marie decided to keep their mother’s surname.
New York Times reported that this decision was made because “when they lived in Japan, it was mainly a practical matter, useful for enrolling in schools and renting apartments.” The publication also reported that the family will speak Japanese while they are at home, eat traditional Japanese food and take part in cultural celebrations.
Leonard and Tamaki – grandparents
Naomi Osaka with her daughter Shai.
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Leonard and Tamaki became grandparents in July 2023 when Naomi gave birth to her first child, daughter Shai, with her then-boyfriend, rapper Cordae.
“Having a family was my biggest dream. I always wanted to be a mother,” the tennis star said in her documentary. Naomi Osaka: Second set. “Some people say (Shai) ended my career, but I feel like she started my career.”
Tamaki has no doubt that Naomi can be both a mother and a superstar on the court. “You just have to keep working, keep going. Do it,” she told her daughter in the documentary.
Read the original article about People