Naomi Osaka is one of the most popular tennis players in the world, who fell just short of reaching the finals 2025 U.S. Open. Regardless, her unique background has made her one of the most intriguing figures in all of sports.
Of course, like all world-class athletes, she didn’t get here alone. Osaka has had no shortage of support from friends and family over the years.
Here are five facts about Naomi Osaka’s family.
1. Her family background is truly unique
Osaka was born on Oct. 16, 1997, in Japan to a Haitian man and Japanese woman. Her father’s name is Leonard Francois, and according to a New York Times Magazine profile from 2018, Francois taught his young daughter the game starting at age 3. Eventually, the family of four — Francois, Naomi, her mother Tamaki and sister Mari — moved to Long Island with Francois’ parents.
“There, with access to a gym and free public courts, Francois was able to initiate his plan in earnest,” Brook Larmer wrote for the Times. “Girded with instructional books and DVDs, he made the girls hit hundreds, then thousands, of balls per day.”
2. A move to Florida sparked her tennis career
It didn’t take long for the Osaka family to realize they had not one but two tennis prodigies on their hands. The family then moved to Florida where they were able to focus on tennis full time. It was in Florida, at the Lakeshore Tennis Park, the Osaka girls honed their skills under the watchful eye of tennis pro Bill Adams, their first (professional) coach.
“That was their court,” Adams told the Sun Sentinel in 2019. “They’d be there five, six hours a day. Every day.”
3. Her father coached her (again) — as a pro
In 2019, Osaka went back to her father as coach. The move came not long after Osaka won the 2019 Australian Open, but she had success right away with Francois back in the coaching position. She’d also win the 2020 U.S. Open a year later under Francois.
4. Her sister played professionally, too
Mari Osaka also was a tennis whiz as a child who ascended to the professional ranks herself. Mari’s career never quite reached the heights of her sister, but she ranked as high as No. 280 in the world in 2018. After bouncing around the world without really making a major impact, she called it quits and retired in 2021. She has created a successful art and fashion design career.
5. She has a daughter, Shai
Osaka welcomed her first child, a daughter Shai, to the world in July 2023. She shares the child with her ex-boyfriend, Cordae, who is a rapper, and although the two are no longer together, Osaka told People in 2025 that her ex is “an awesome dad.”
In a documentary about her return to the sport after taking time off to be a mom, Osaka said this about balancing motherhood and professional sports: “Some people say she ended my career, but for me, it feels like she started my career.”
Naomi Osaka’s Family: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know