Naomi Osaka is becoming more and more the face of women’s tennis. At 23 years of age, the Japanese sensation has already conquered 3 slams and she is 1 step from winning her 4th in Australia. In addition, she has already occupied the first place in the rankings at the beginning of 2019.
Naomi is the darling of the brands and she has a huge fan base not only for her fantastic and successful way to interpret her tennis, but also for her interesting background.
Tamaki Osaka e Leonard Francois
Naomi was born in Osaka on the 16th October 1997 to a Japanese mother Tamaki and a Haitian father Leonard François. Naomi’s mother is originally from Sapporo (Hokkaido). Naomi and her sister Mari had to take Tamaki’s surname in order to be included in the Japanese family registry. This is imposed by law in Japan when 1 parent is a foreigner. Naomi’s parents met when Leonard François visited Hokkaido when he was a student in New York.
Racially pure Japan
Unfortunately, at that time, there was the credo of keeping a racially pure Japan. Tamaki and Leonard Francois dated in secret for years and when Tamaki’s family learned about their relationship, they didn’t talk to her for more than 10 years!
They moved to Long Island when Naomi was 3 and they kept on living in the US since then. For this reason, Naomi has been exposed to the cultures from Japan, Haiti and the US.
Naomi decided to keep the Japanese nationality as she was brought up according to Japanese values. Osaka had to renounce her American citizenship when she turned 22, following Japanese law.
Leonard Francois was the one that helped his daughters to be committed to tennis and he was also homeschooling them to keep their focus on the sport. On the other side, the mother was working to support them financially.
Naomi Osaka vs. Racism
Naomi Osaka knows very well what racist ideas can cause and she is extremely vocal in supporting the black community. The former world no.1 was notably active after the horrible killing of George Floyd last summer. Also, Naomi loves to wear Haitian outfits when she can to stress her origin. Naomi has also a foundation in Haiti and she traveled there last year after she won the US Open.
The Australian Open final
Naomi will face Jennifer Brady in the Australian Open final.
Naomi Osaka and Jennifer Brady squared off just twice. Their head to head is 2-0 for Osaka. The last time they competed against each other, Naomi Osaka won 7-6(1) 3-6 6-3 in the semifinal in New York (U.S. Open) in September 2020.
You can see them in action in the following highlights.
Osaka at the Australian Open, ranking, and results in 2021
Now the world no.3, Naomi achieved a compiled 9-0 match record in 2021. Naomi is currently having a run at the Australian Open where she managed to beat Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-1 6-2, Caroline Garcia 6-2 6-3, Ons Jabeur 6-3 6-2, Garbine Muguruza 4-6 6-4 7-5, Su-Wei Hsieh 6-2 6-2 and Serena Williams 6-3 6-4.
Naomi Osaka will face Brady in the final. The head to head is 2-1 for Osaka.
Osaka won 6 titles in her career: all of them conquered on hard courts. (See the list of her titles)
Brady at the Australian Open, ranking, and results in 2021
Now the world no.24 (career-high), Brady has a compiled 9-2 record in 2021. The American is currently having a run at the Australian Open where she defeated Aliona Bolsova 6-1 6-3, Madison Brengle 6-1 6-2, Kaja Juvan 6-1 6-3, Donna Vekic 6-1 7-5, Jessica Pegula 4-6 6-2 6-1 and Karolina Muchova 6-4 3-6 6-4.
Jennifer Brady will square off with Osaka in the final. Their record is 2-1 for Osaka.
