{"id":682,"date":"2024-10-04T10:33:50","date_gmt":"2024-10-04T10:33:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newssoccer.uk\/?p=682"},"modified":"2024-10-04T10:33:50","modified_gmt":"2024-10-04T10:33:50","slug":"682-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newssoccer.uk\/?p=682","title":{"rendered":"Meet Naomi Osaka\u2019s Super-Supportive Parents, Tamaki Osaka and Leonard Francois"},"content":{"rendered":"

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There\u2019s only one thing that feels the tiniest bit better than watching\u00a0Naomi Osaka\u00a0absolutely dominate on the tennis court: watching the love she gets from her parents after every match. The four-time Grand Slam tennis champ has a super-close relationship with her mom, Tamaki Osaka, and her dad, Leonard Francois. These two raised Naomi and her older sister, Mari, in Japan before moving to the United States when Naomi was 3 years old, and they\u00a0couldn\u2019t<\/em>\u00a0be more supportive of their daughter and her wildly impressive career. Get to know Naomi Osaka\u2019s parents below.<\/p>\n

Tamaki and Leonard Met in College<\/h2>\n

Tamaki, who\u2019s from Japan, met Leonard, who\u2019s from Haiti, when he was visiting Hokkaido as a college student. The couple kept their relationship a secret from Tamaki\u2019s parents for years, and then when she was in her 20s, her father wanted to arrange a marriage for her. As the\u00a0New York Times<\/em>\u00a0reported in 2018, \u201cThe truth then spilled out: Tamaki was already seeing someone\u2014a foreigner who also happened to be Black. Her father erupted in outrage, excoriating her for bringing disgrace on the family.\u201d The couple ended up moving to Osaka\u2014where Naomi was born.<\/p>\n

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They Moved Their Family to Long Island<\/h2>\n

The family relocated from Japan to Long Island when Naomi was 3 years old to live with Leonard\u2019s parents. \u201cMy dad\u2019s Haitian, so I grew up in a Haitian household in New York. I lived with my grandma,\u201d Naomi\u00a0said<\/a>\u00a0at a 2018 press conference. \u201cAnd my mom\u2019s Japanese and I grew up with the Japanese culture too, and if you\u2019re saying American, I guess because I lived in America, I also have that too.\u201d<\/p>\n

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“Japanese culture? I kind of love everything about it … And Haiti, if you\u2019ve ever met a Haitian person, they are really positive, and literally if you\u2019re friends with them, then they will do anything for you,\u201d Naomi\u00a0said of her heritage\u00a0in 2018. “That’s something that is a really good trait, and I’m really happy that my grandparents and my dad’s side of the family is like that.”<\/p>\n

Naomi credits her mom for motivating her and encouraging her to create her own lane and embrace her upbringing. Here\u2019s what the Olympian\u00a0said\u00a0in a May 2021 interview:<\/p>\n

\u201cGrowing up, I saw my mother work incredibly hard to support me and my passion for play. She always put others first and encouraged me to embrace my diversity. Every role model I\u2019ve had has inspired me to dream big. To level up in every way. And while I\u2019m still working on how to be the best role model I can be, I want to show them that I stick to my beliefs and love who I am. Then maybe one day, it will help them feel confident that it\u2019s okay to be different and create their own lane\u2014as long as they remain true to themselves.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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Naomi\u2019s Dad Was Inspired by the Williams Sisters<\/h2>\n

Leonard decided to teach his daughters tennis after watching Venus and Serena Williams. He even took a leaf out of their father Richard Williams\u2019s book, telling the\u00a0New York Times<\/em>, \u201cThe blueprint was already there. I just had to follow it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both of Naomi\u2019s parents were so dedicated to her career that they moved to Florida so she could have better training opportunities.<\/p>\n

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Her Dad Briefly Coached Her<\/h2>\n

It didn\u2019t last long, and Naomi\u00a0joked\u00a0at the time, \u201cYeah, he\u2019s so annoying. Oh my god. Do you hear his on-court coaching? I can\u2019t believe it. He runs up to the bench talking about, \u2018Be calm.\u2019 That\u2019s it. He doesn\u2019t give me any tactics. I can\u2019t believe this. I was so mad.\u201d<\/p>\n

But she also tweeted, \u201cAll jokes aside, I love my dad so much and I\u2019m grateful for everything I learn from him on and off the court. I feel extremely lucky to be his kid \u2019cause he just drops knowledge.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Naomi\u2019s Parents Helped Make the Decision for Her to Represent Japan<\/h2>\n

\u201cWe made the decision that Naomi would represent Japan at an early age,\u201d Tamaki\u00a0said<\/a>. \u201cShe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

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In October 2019, Naomi actually\u00a0gave up her U.S. citizenship in order to play for Japan\u00a0in the 2021 Summer Olympics. Although she lost in the third round and subsequently took her second prolonged break from the sport for personal and\u00a0mental health reasons, her sweet parents have remained by her side, cheering her on from the sidelines. Now, she’s headed to the 2024 Paris Olympics to represent Japan. We truly could not be more obsessed with this family! And the only thing better? The fact that they\u2019re welcoming one more member.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re Officially Grandparents!<\/h2>\n

Yep, that\u2019s right! Naomi welcomed her daughter, Shai,\u00a0in July 2023. She initially shared her pregnancy announcement in an Instagram carousel. She posted a photo of an ultrasound along with a message in both English and Japanese. \u201cCan\u2019t wait to get back on the court but here\u2019s a little life update for 2023,\u201d the caption read.<\/p>\n

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In the note, Naomi delves deeper into how she generally feels about this time in her life and opens up about tennis and her bb. \u201cThe past few years have been interesting to say the least, but I find that it\u2019s the most challenging times in life that may be the most fun. These few months away from the sport has really given me a new love and appreciation for the game I\u2019ve dedicated my life to,\u201d she wrote at the time.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know that I have so much to look forward to in the future\u2014one thing I\u2019m looking forward to is for my kid to watch one of my matches and tell someone, \u2018That\u2019s my mom,\u2019 haha,\u201d she continued elsewhere in the sweet reflection. Tear ducts = activated!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s only one thing that feels the tiniest bit better than watching\u00a0Naomi Osaka\u00a0absolutely dominate on the tennis court: watching the love she gets from her parents after every match. The four-time Grand Slam tennis champ has a super-close relationship with her mom, Tamaki Osaka, and her dad, Leonard Francois. These two raised Naomi and her 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