Naomi Osaka
Naomi Osaka is a professional tennis player born in 1997 in Osaka, Japan, to a Haitian father and a Japanese mother. The family relocated to Long Island, New York, in 2000, where her father began training Osaka and her sister, Mari, in tennis, inspired by the Williams sisters. After moving to Florida for more focused training, Osaka turned professional at age fifteen. She quickly gained recognition, reaching her first Grand Slam event in 2016 and winning her first WTA title in 2018. Osaka made history by winning consecutive Grand Slam titles in 2019 and has been a prominent figure in advocating for mental health awareness and racial justice. Her activism includes protests against police brutality, notably during the 2020 US Open. In her personal life, she announced her pregnancy in January 2023 and welcomed a daughter in July. Osaka continues to navigate both her tennis career and her influence as a public figure.
On this Page
Naomi Osaka
- Born: October 16, 1997
- Place of Birth: Osaka, Japan
Background
Professional tennis player Naomi Osaka was born in Osaka, Japan, in 1997, to Leonard Francois and Tamaki Osaka. Osaka’s father is Haitian, and her mother is Japanese. The family moved to Long Island, New York, to live with her father’s parents in 2000.
Inspired by the story of Venus and Serena Williams, Osaka’s father decided to train his daughters, Naomi and Mari, in tennis. Naomi Osaka started playing when she was three years old, and she and her older sister, Mari, hit thousands of balls a day. After five years of living in New York, the family moved to Broward County, Florida, where the girls focused on tennis full-time. They trained on the Pembroke Pines public court during the day and were homeschooled at night. When she was sixteen, Osaka began training at the Harold Solomon Tennis Institute in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Osaka is a dual citizen of the United States and Japan. Her father decided that she should play for Japan because he believed she would have more opportunities to succeed.
Life’s Work
Osaka did not compete in junior tournaments. She turned professional in 2013, at the age of fifteen. She made her Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) debut at the 2014 Bank of the West Classic, defeating Grand Slam champion Samantha Stosur in her opening match. She then won the 2015 Rising Stars Invitational exhibition tournament, defeating Caroline Garcia in the final. Osaka made it to her first Grand Slam event in 2016, competing at the Australian Open, where she progressed to the third round. That year, she also made the third round at the French Open and the US Open. She ended the year by reaching her first WTA final, finishing runner-up to Caroline Wozniacki at the Toray Pan Pacific Open. That year, Osaka signed a worldwide marketing agreement and was voted newcomer of the year at the WTA Awards. In 2017, she built on her success by playing in all four Grand Slam events. During the 2017 World Open, Osaka defeated defending champion Angelique Kerber in straight sets. However, she was knocked out of the tournament in the third round.
In 2018, she achieved her best Grand Slam finish at the Australian Open, making it to the fourth round. She then went on to win her first WTA title at the 2018 BNP Paribas Open in March, beating out former world champions Maria Sharapova and Simona Halep. She defeated her tennis hero Serena Williams during the first round of the Miami Open and later that year defeated Williams again in the US Open final. Osaka was awarded $3.8 million for her victory. In 2019, with her win at the Australian Open, she became the first woman with consecutive Grand Slam singles titles since 2015, when Williams was the record-setting victor. Japanese law requires citizens with dual citizenship to choose between their Japanese citizenship and their other passport when they turn twenty-two. Osaka did so in October 2019, choosing her Japanese citizenship.
In August and September 2020, Osaka compiled a lengthy winning streak and ended the year ranked number three. She was named as the 2020 Associated Press athlete of the year, beating out other stars like women's basketball MVP Breanna Stewart and NBA player LeBron James.
Osaka held the honor of lighting the cauldron at the postponed 2020 Summer Olympic Games, which were held in Tokyo in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She competed at the Games representing Japan but lost in the third round.
In 2021, Osaka drew both condemnation and praise for prioritizing her mental health. She refused to do a mandatory press conference at the French Open and was fined $15,000 by the organization. She withdrew from the tournament the following day. Later that season, she announced that she was going on hiatus for an unspecified time. The 2022 season proved rocky for Osaka, who broke down in tears when she was heckled at a tournament and dropped far down in the rankings. She experienced some injuries as well.
Skipping the 2023 season due to pregnancy, Osaka returned to competition in January 2024. However, she had a disappointing season, losing in the first round at the Australian Open and the second round at both the French Open and Wimbledon. She competed at her second Olympic Games in July 2024 in Paris, where she lost in the first round. At the US Open that year, she beat a top-ten seed for the first time in four years in the first round but lost in the second round.
Impact
In addition to tennis, Osaka uses her celebrity status to speak out about racial injustice and police brutality. In a 2020 interview with the Associated Press after being named athlete of the year, Osaka spoke out against the injustices that year against Black people, such as George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Jacob Blake. During the 2020 US Open, she declared that she would not play in her semifinal, joining other athletes in protest of the death of Blake by police. As a result, the tournament was shut down for a day. WTA Chairman and CEO Steve Simon commended Osaka, noting how athletes like her could collectively make an impact. Osaka also made a statement during the US Open by arriving to matches wearing face masks bearing the names of Black individuals who had been killed by police.
Personal Life
Osaka announced her pregnancy in January 2023. The father was Grammy-nominated rapper Cordae, whom she had been dating for three years prior to the announcement. She gave birth to a daughter in July.
Bibliography
Downs, Tom. “Naomi Osaka: Japanese Firepower.” Tennis View Magazine, 17 Sept. 2018, www.tennisviewmag.com/tennis-view-magazine/article/naomi-osaka-japanese-firepower. Accessed 8 May 2023.
Eccleshare, Charlie. "Naomi Osaka and the Gravity of a Superstar at the U.S. Open." The New York Times, 28 Aug. 2024, www.nytimes.com/athletic/5727372/2024/08/28/naomi-osaka-us-open/. Accessed 30 Aug. 2024.
Fendrich, Howard. “Activist, Champion: Naomi Osaka Is AP Female Athlete of Year.” AP News, apnews.com/article/police-health-osaka-ahmaud-arbery-police-brutality-595092ee32188137d13ad919eaa4e358. Accessed 8 May 2023.
“Naomi Osaka.” Hologic WTA Tour, www.wtatennis.com/players/319998/naomi-osaka. Accessed 30 Aug. 2024.
“Naomi Osaka: US Open Champion’s Career in Pictures.” CNN, edition.cnn.com/2018/09/11/tennis/gallery/naomi-osaka-us-open-career-spt-intl/index.html. Accessed 8 May 2023.
Rothberg, Emma. “Naomi Osaka.” National Women’s History Museum, www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/naomi-osaka. Accessed 8 May 2023.