Naomi Osaka is one of the biggest tennis stars of her or any generation, and 2025 has seen the Japanese surge back into top form.
A two-time champion at both the US Open and Australian Open, and a former WTA world No 1, Osaka’s career has been extraordinary, despite the high-profile struggles she has faced on and off the court.
Her return to the sport and resurgence has been inspired by her daughter, Shai, though her wider family have also remained key supporters in recent years.
Here, we look at Osaka’s parents, Leonard Francois and Tamaki Osaka, and the impact they have had on their daughter’s career.
Who are Leonard Francois and Tamaki Osaka?
Born and raised in Haiti, Francois attended New York University and first met Tamaki in Sapporo while visiting the city during his collegiate days, initially keeping their relationship secret.
After welcoming their first daughter, Mari, in 1996, the couple then welcomed Naomi in October 1997.
Born in Osaka, the four-time Grand Slam champion takes her mother’s surname and not her father’s surname, as is customary in Japan when only one parent is a native Japanese citizen.
Naomi and her older sister spent their early years in Japan, though the family moved to New York when the future world No 1 was just four years old — to be closer to Leonard’s parents.
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It was once the family moved to New York that, inspired by Richard Williams’ tutelage of Venus and Serena Williams, Leonard decided to teach his two children how to play tennis.
Leonard had been inspired by watching the Williamses compete at the 1999 French Open, though he waited until the family moved to America to introduce Naomi and Mari to the sport.
“The blueprint was already there. I just had to follow it,” he once told the New York Times.
The family moved to Florida when Naomi was eight years old, and Leonard remained her primary coach until she joined the ISP Academy aged 15.
Despite spending most of her childhood in America, Leonard and Tamaki made the joint decision for their two daughters to represent Japan during their professional careers.
“We made the decision that Naomi would represent Japan at an early age,” said the couple, speaking to the Wall Street Journal in 2018.
“She was born in Osaka and was brought up in a household of Japanese and Haitian culture. Quite simply, Naomi and her sister Mari have always felt Japanese, so that was our only rationale.
“It was never a financially motivated decision, nor were we ever swayed either way by any national federation.”
Career support
Osaka’s career has been one of huge successes, and her parents have played an invaluable part in all of her achievements.
Speaking to CBS News in 2022, the 27-year-old reflected on the sacrifices her family had made to support her through her career.
She said: “I came from a mum that worked for basically my entire childhood to put me through tennis. My dad, who was with me the entire time. And I knew that they had a really hard time.
“Tennis is an expensive sport. So, just to put two kids through that and just, I guess, believe in them so much is something that — I always call my parents a bit crazy.”
Though Leonard has mostly stepped back from coaching, he has at times filled in when Osaka has been in between coaches, most notably towards the end of 2019.
However, the bond between Osaka and her two parents remains incredibly close, and they are often seen at her matches.
Leonard and Tamaki have been present for many of her biggest successes, including her maiden Grand Slam title at the 2018 US Open, and have featured heavily in her high-profile documentaries.
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