The world is excited about Naomi Osaka. Not just because she is a tennis superstar and two-time Grand Slam champion, but because Osaka sent a critical and courageous message about Black Lives Matter and racial justice at the 2020 US Open. Osaka plays with masks with the names of black murder victims on them, including Trayvon Martin, (opens in new tab) George Floyd, and (opens in new tab) Breanna Taylor. (opens in new tab) If you're not a tennis fan, this may be the first time you've heard her name, but Naomi is a badass. She was raised by her father to excel at tennis, followed in the footsteps of greats like Serena Williams, and actually beat Williams at the 2018 US Open." I feel like I'm a vessel for spreading awareness," she says of her recent mask-wearing, but she has long been a vocal supporter of such activities. So what do we know about her family, which has greatly influenced her?

Naomi's parents are Leonard Francois (from Haiti) and Tamaki Osaka (from Japan). Naomi identifies as Black and Asian, but says she does not identify as American, despite growing up in the United States for part of her childhood. I don't consider myself American. I don't know what that feels like."

Instead, Naomi celebrates her heritage (open in new tab), saying in a 2018 interview:

"Japanese culture" I love it all. And Haiti, if you have met Haitians, they are really positive, literally, if you become friends with them, they will do anything for you. I am really happy that my grandparents and my paternal side of the family are like that."

Tamaki met François in Japan when she was a high school student and he was a college student; they dated in secret for years, and Tamaki's family did not speak to her for about 10.5 years after learning of her relationship with François. When Naomi was three (Naomi was born in Osaka), they moved to Long Island to live with Francois' family. However, the family reunited with Tamaki's family in 2008.

Both of Naomi's parents are her biggest fans (opens in new tab); after Naomi defeated Serena Williams in 2018, she went straight to her mother and the two embraced emotionally, with tears streaming down their faces:

Afterwards, Naomi spoke about her parents and their support Posted:

"She is very close with her family," Lindsay Davenport said of Osaka on the Tennis Channel (opens in new tab). Her parents have spent the last few years raising this superstar and then stepping back and letting her go on with her life."

Until recently, Naomi's older sister Mari was also a professional tennis player (and in case you were wondering, yes, they have been compared to Venus and Serena Williams). The sisters are very close off the court, are best friends, and play doubles on the court as well.

In March 2021, Mari wrote on Instagram: (opens in new tab) "I am retiring from tennis playing. It has been a journey that I ultimately did not enjoy, but I am grateful for the memories and support I have gained from this sport over the years."

François had no tennis experience, but was inspired by the Williams sisters. Following the "blueprint" of her father, Richard Williams, François watched videos and let his daughters hit thousands of balls a day. The family later moved to Florida for training opportunities, and François still closely follows his daughters' training and games.

Osaka also talks about her mother's influence. Growing up, my mother worked incredibly hard to support me and my passion for playing. She always put others first and encouraged me to embrace my diversity," she said in a statement (opens in new tab) about her tennis academy.

Naomi's parents also explained why Naomi chose to represent Japan and gave up playing in the United States (opens in new tab). Naomi was born in Osaka, Japan and raised in both Japanese and Haitian cultures. She was born in Osaka and grew up in both Japanese and Haitian cultures. Simply because Naomi and her sister Mari always felt Japanese and that was the only reason. We did not make the decision for economic motives, nor were we influenced by any national federation," she said.

Naomi developed a strong fan base and lucrative endorsements in Japan.

She parted ways with her former coach Jermaine Jenkins in 2019, with her father temporarily taking over as her coach. She joked then that, yes, she would have another coach, and that her father's support was both important and frustrating (opens in new tab). 'Yeah, he's so frustrating. Oh my gosh (laughs). Have you heard his on-court coaching? He runs up to the bench and says, 'Calm down. That's it. He doesn't teach me any tactics. It's unbelievable. It made me very mad [laughs]." She also revealed that he couldn't watch her play and preferred to glance at the television coverage. [She added, "Yeah, for me, he lets me do what I want. If I do my own thing too long, I need guidance and advice from someone else."

In 2020, she added coach Wim Fisette to her team, but family remains an important part of her work and life.

Finally, and this is adorable: