Naomi Osaka Bio
Naomi Osaka (Japanese pronunciation: oːsaka naomi; born October 16, 1997) is a Japanese professional tennis player who has won seven career singles titles, including four Grand Slam championships. She was ranked as the world No. 1 in women’s singles by the WTA for 25 weeks starting in January 2019, becoming the first Asian player to hold the top ranking in singles. Osaka is also the first Japanese player to win a major singles title, capturing the US Open in 2018 and 2020 and the Australian Open in 2019 and 2021.
Born in Japan to a Haitian-American father and a Japanese mother, Naomi Osaka has lived and trained in the United States since the age of three. Standing 180 cm tall, she plays an aggressive baseline game powered by one of the fastest serves in WTA history. Beyond her on-court success, Naomi Osaka is widely recognized for her activism and was named the 2021 Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year.
Early Life and Background
Naomi Osaka was born on October 16, 1997, in Chūō-ku, Osaka, Japan, to Leonard François, who is from Jacmel, Haiti, and Tamaki Osaka, who is from Nemuro, Hokkaido, Japan. She has an older sister, Mari, who also became a professional tennis player. The sisters were given their mother’s family name, following the practice in Japan when only one parent held native citizenship. Naomi Osaka’s parents originally met in Sapporo, where her father was a visiting college student from New York University.
When Naomi Osaka was four years old, her family moved from Japan to the United States to live with her father’s parents in Elmont, New York, on Long Island. Her father, inspired by watching the Williams sisters compete at the 1999 French Open, decided to teach his daughters how to play tennis, emulating the blueprint used by Richard Williams. In 2006, the family relocated to Florida so the girls would have better training opportunities. Naomi Osaka practiced on the Pembroke Pines public courts during the day and was homeschooled at night.
Although Naomi Osaka was raised in the United States, her parents decided that their daughters would represent Japan, citing the household’s mix of Japanese and Haitian culture. The United States Tennis Association later offered Naomi Osaka the chance to train at its national center in Boca Raton when she was 15, but she declined.
Path to Tennis
Naomi Osaka was coached by her father, Leonard François, from the age of three. Patrick Tauma became one of her first coaches after she began competing on the ITF Women’s Circuit, guiding her to her first ITF final in 2013. In 2014, Naomi Osaka spent seven months training at an academy run by Harold Solomon, a former top-five player and French Open finalist. Under Solomon, she defeated Sam Stosur for her first WTA match win.
Following her loss at the 2016 US Open, where she could not convert a 5–1 lead in the third set, the Japan Tennis Association helped arrange for David Taylor to become her new coach. After the 2017 season, Naomi Osaka switched coaches to Sascha Bajin, a former hitting partner for Serena Williams, Victoria Azarenka, and Caroline Wozniacki. With Bajin guiding her, Naomi Osaka won her first Premier Mandatory title and two Grand Slam singles titles. Bajin was named the inaugural WTA Coach of the Year in 2018.
Naomi Osaka Career
Early Career (2014–2016)
Naomi Osaka came to prominence at age 16 when she defeated former US Open champion Samantha Stosur in her WTA Tour debut at the 2014 Stanford Classic. Two years later, she reached her first WTA final at the 2016 Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, becoming the first Japanese player to contest the final at the event since Kimiko Date in 1995. That same year, Naomi Osaka entered the top 50 of the WTA rankings for the first time and was named the WTA Newcomer of the Year.
US Open and Australian Open Breakthrough (2018–2019)
At the 2018 Indian Wells Open, Naomi Osaka produced a defining breakthrough, defeating top-five opponents Karolína Plíšková and Simona Halep before winning the title over Daria Kasatkina, becoming the youngest champion at the event in ten years. Later that season at the US Open, Naomi Osaka defeated Serena Williams in the final to claim her first major title. She followed it up with her second Grand Slam crown at the 2019 Australian Open, which lifted her to the world No. 1 ranking for the first time.
Second US Open Title (2020)
In 2020, Naomi Osaka played only four tournaments due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She reached the Cincinnati Open final before defaulting against Victoria Azarenka with a hamstring injury. The two met again in the US Open final, where Naomi Osaka became the first player to win a US Open women’s singles final by coming from a set down since 1994, securing her second US Open title in three years.
Return and Comeback (2022–2024)
Naomi Osaka returned to competition in 2022 and reached her first final since the 2021 Australian Open at the Miami Open, where she lost to Iga Świątek in straight sets. She stepped away from the tour again and announced her pregnancy in January 2023, welcoming a healthy baby girl on July 7, 2023. Naomi Osaka returned to professional tennis as a wildcard at the 2024 Brisbane International and reached two quarterfinals during the season.
Driving Style and Strengths
Naomi Osaka is an aggressive baseline player known for her raw power, especially on her forehand and her serve. Her serve has been clocked at up to 201 kilometers per hour (125 mph), placing her among the ten fastest servers in WTA history. Naomi Osaka has credited improvements in her mental approach and reductions in unforced errors for her breakthrough results.
Notable Events and Milestones
At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Naomi Osaka became the first tennis player to light the Olympic cauldron during the opening ceremony. She withdrew from the 2020 Cincinnati Open to raise awareness for the police shooting of Jacob Blake, prompting a one-day tournament postponement. During the 2020 US Open, she wore masks bearing the names of Black Americans who had lost their lives.
Naomi Osaka Career Wins
Naomi Osaka has won seven career singles titles, including four Grand Slam championships. Her major titles came at the 2018 and 2020 US Opens and the 2019 and 2021 Australian Opens. She also won the 2018 Indian Wells Open, her first Premier Mandatory title.
Grand Slam Highlights
Naomi Osaka became the first Japanese player to win a major singles title at the 2018 US Open, defeating Serena Williams in the final. Her most recent Grand Slam title came at the 2021 Australian Open, which propelled her back into the top rankings.
Naomi Osaka Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Naomi Osaka comes from a blended cultural household. Her father, Leonard François, is Haitian-American and her mother, Tamaki Osaka, is Japanese. Her older sister, Mari Osaka, is also a former professional tennis player. The family moved from Japan to the United States when Naomi Osaka was four years old, settling first in Elmont, New York, and later in Florida.
Personal Life
Naomi Osaka began a relationship with American rapper Cordae in 2019. In January 2023, she announced she was pregnant with their first child, and on July 7, 2023, she welcomed a healthy baby girl. On January 6, 2025, Naomi Osaka announced that she and Cordae were no longer in a relationship, stating there was “no bad blood” between them. Naomi Osaka resides in Beverly Hills, California.
2025 Season Performance
In mid-2025, Naomi Osaka began working with coach Tomasz Wiktorowski, who previously coached Iga Świątek, after adding Patrick Mouratoglou as her coach in September 2024. Her 2025 campaign is centered on rebuilding match fitness and climbing back into the top tier of the WTA rankings. She continues to compete on both hard and clay courts as she works her way back into form.
Naomi Osaka’s 2025 goals include consistent deep runs at the Grand Slam events and a return to the top 20 of the WTA rankings. Her partnership with Wiktorowski is expected to bring greater tactical variety to her already aggressive baseline game. Off the court, she continues to expand her media and production company, Hana Kuma, and her sports agency, Evolve.