NEWS
Naomi Osaka’s father started training her when she was 3
Naomi Osaka wasn’t even 2 years old when her father, Leonard Francois, tuned into the 1999 French Open on a night that would change the toddler’s destiny. It was that night that Francois watched Venus and Serena Williams, 17 and 18 years old at the time, defeat Martina Hingis and Anna Kournikova.
As he explained to The New York Times, Francois was a tennis neophyte, but he took inspiration from Richard Williams, Venus and Serena’s father, who coached the sisters even without tennis experience of his own. “The blueprint was already there,” Francois said. “I just had to follow it.”
When Naomi was 3, the family left for the United States and moved in with Francois’ parents on Long Island. Francois started training his girls on the local tennis courts — learning about the sport from books and DVDs — and Mari and Naomi hit hundreds or even thousands of balls each day as they practiced.
The family spent five years on Long Island, with young Naomi hearing Japanese from her mother and Haitian Creole from her grandparents. “I grew up surrounded by both Haitian and Japanese culture,” Naomi recalled.
Growing up, Naomi Osaka trained against her sister
As Leonard Francois trained daughters Mari and Naomi Osaka in tennis, Naomi was focused less on hitting the ball and more on defeating her older sister. But for 12 years, Mari reigned victorious, often defeating the future No. 1 tennis champ 6–0, as The New York Times reported.
“For her, it wasn’t a competition, but for me, every day was a competition,” Naomi explained. “Every day I’d say, ‘I’m going to beat you tomorrow.'”
In an open “love letter” to her younger sister published in Glamour in 2020, Mari reflected on the time that Naomi finally started beating her, writing, “I remember you made this face — the most annoying face in the world — that made me want to punch you. But it’s cool. I’ll get you again.”
In 2006, Francois and Tamaki Osaka moved the family to the city of Pembroke Pines, Florida, the same city where Naomi’s future rival Sofia Kenin grew up, per Yahoo! Sports. Naomi and Mari would train on public courts during the day and be home-schooled at night.
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