Who is Naomi Osaka’s father?Meet Leonard Francois
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On July 22, it was revealed that Naomi Osaka will play at center courtn She was on the first day of the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. The four-time Grand Slam champion has had a turbulent year in 2021 as he withdrew from this year’s French Open due to mental health issues and Wimbledon. However, the tennis star remains one of the best-selling athletes in the world (she even has her own Netflix documentary), though it wouldn’t be possible without the help of Naomi Osaka’s father, Leonard Francis.
Who is Naomi Osaka’s father?
Naomi Osaka’s father is Leonard Francois, who is about 6 feet tall and is believed to be in his 40s.
While studying at New York University, Leonard met Naomi’s mother, Osaka Ring, while visiting Hokkaido in Japan.
After meeting sometime in the mid-1990s, Leonard and Tamaki later had two daughters, Mary and Naomi Osaka, who were born 18 months apart.
Originally, the family lived in Japan before moving to New York around 2000 to live with Leonard’s family.
It was from then on that Leonard became Naomi’s tennis coach (more on that later).
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Photo by Zhang Lintao/Getty Images
What nationality is Leonard Francois?
Leonard Francois was born in Jacmel, Haiti. So Naomi has Haitian ancestry on her father’s side and Japanese ancestry on her mother’s side.
Although she grew up in the United States, Naomi’s parents indicated early on that she would represent Japan.
they are right Wall Street Journal: “We decided at an early age that Naomi would represent Japan. She was born in Osaka and grew up in a family of Japanese and Haitian cultures.
“Simply, Naomi and her sister Mari have always felt Japanese, so that was our only reason. It was never a financially motivated decision, and we were never swayed by any national federation.”
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Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images
Leonard’s influence on Naomi and their relationship today
Leonard and Tamaka are still together and reportedly live on Long Island.
Naomi’s father, in particular, had a profound influence on her tennis career, as he was her coach since childhood.
Leonard is said to have been inspired by Richard Williams (father of Venus and Serena Williams) to teach his two daughters how to play tennis, and he is also known for coaching his daughters from an early age .
While watching the Williams sisters at the 1999 French Open, Francois decided to coach Mari and Naomi.
OSAKA, JAPAN – SEPTEMBER 21: Naomi Osaka and her father Leonard Francois speak on day six of the Toray Pan Pacific Open on September 21, 2019 in Osaka, Japan. (Photo by: Koji Watanabe/Getty Images)
Despite having no tennis experience himself, he imitated Richard’s training methods with incredible success.
“The blueprint is already there. I just have to follow it,” Francois said of Richard’s detailed plan for his daughters
After the family moved to Florida for training, Francois still kept a close eye on his daughter’s training and competition.
Talking about her father’s support, Naomi Say: “Yeah, he’s so annoying. Omg [laughter]. Have you listened to his coaching on the field? I can not believe it. He ran to the bench and said, keep calm. That’s it. He didn’t give me any tactics. I can’t believe this.I am very angry [laughter]. “She also revealed that he couldn’t watch her games, preferring to watch TV shows.”
Leonard briefly coached Naomi again in 2019 after parting ways with former coach Jermaine Jenkins. She said she liked her father’s approach because “he let me do what I liked”.
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Joshua is a senior sports writer with over four years of online writing experience. He graduated from the University of Manchester with a BA in Ancient History and then a MA in Sports Journalism from the University of Central Lancashire. He became a popular writer for a leading social publisher and later spent time covering the 2018 World Cup for The Mirror Online. He then moved to a social marketing agency as a website editor. His expertise at The Focus includes F1, tennis, NBA, NFL and combat sports.
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