Naomi Osaka

Naomi Osaka Bio

Naomi Osaka (Japanese: 大坂 なおみ, Ōsaka Naomi; born October 16, 1997) is a Japanese professional tennis player who has been ranked world No. 1 in women’s singles by the WTA. She first reached the top ranking in January 2019, becoming the first Asian player to hold the position in singles. Osaka has won seven career singles titles, including four Grand Slam championships, with two titles each at the Australian Open and the US Open. She is the first Japanese player ever to win a major singles title. Standing 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in), she plays right-handed with a two-handed backhand and is widely regarded as one of the most powerful servers on the WTA Tour.

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 Osaka, who was also a professional tennis player. The sisters carry their mother’s family name, following Japanese practice when only one parent holds native citizenship. Osaka’s parents met in Sapporo when her father was a visiting college student from New York University.

When Naomi 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 both Naomi and Mari how to play tennis. Despite having little personal experience in the sport, he sought to follow Richard Williams’s blueprint for developing champions. In 2006, the family relocated to Florida so the girls could train more seriously, with Naomi practicing on the Pembroke Pines public courts during the day and being homeschooled at night.

At 15, Osaka began working with Patrick Tauma at the ISP Academy. In 2014, she moved to the Harold Solomon Tennis Academy and later trained at the ProWorld Tennis Academy. Although raised in the United States, her parents chose for her to represent Japan, citing her birthplace and bicultural upbringing. Osaka currently resides in Beverly Hills, California.

Path to Professional Tennis

Naomi Osaka never competed on the ITF Junior Circuit, skipping directly to the ITF Women’s Circuit, where she played her first qualifying match on her 14th birthday in October 2011. She turned professional in September 2013, shortly before turning 16. Her professional main-draw debut came in doubles in March 2012 with her sister Mari, while her first singles main-draw appearance followed later that year. She never won a title on the ITF Circuit, finishing as runner-up on four occasions.

Osaka qualified for her first WTA Tour main draw at the 2014 Stanford Classic. In her tour-level debut, she upset world No. 19 Samantha Stosur, saving a match point in the second-set tiebreak before rallying from a 5–3 deficit in the third set. She was just 16 years old and ranked No. 406 at the time. She later received a wildcard into the Japan Women’s Open and won a match there as well, finishing the year inside the top 250.

In 2016, Osaka broke through at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo as a wildcard, reaching her first WTA final and becoming the first Japanese player to contest the title match at the event since Kimiko Date in 1995. She finished as runner-up to Caroline Wozniacki and entered the top 50 of the WTA rankings for the first time. At season’s end, she was named the WTA Newcomer of the Year, signaling her arrival as one of the tour’s most promising young players.

Naomi Osaka Career

Early Career (2012–2015)

Osaka spent her earliest professional years working her way up through the ITF Women’s Circuit, achieving her best result at a 10k event in Amelia Island, where she lost to her sister Mari in the semifinals. Her first two ITF finals came at the 25k level, one in El Paso, Texas, in June 2013 and another in Irapuato, Mexico, in March 2014. She reached two more 25k-level finals before the end of 2015, including at the Kangaroo Cup in Japan and the Surbiton Trophy in England, both as runner-up.

Despite not winning another WTA main-draw match in 2015, Osaka climbed to No. 144 in the world by year’s end. During the 2015 WTA Finals, she won the Rising Stars Invitational exhibition tournament, defeating world No. 35 Caroline Garcia in the final. The following month, she reached the biggest final of her career to date at the WTA 125 Hua Hin Championships in Thailand.

WTA Tour Breakthrough (2016–2017)

Osaka’s true WTA breakthrough came in 2016, when she upset No. 21 Elina Svitolina at the Australian Open and No. 18 Sara Errani at the Miami Open to reach the third round at both events. At the US Open, she reached the third round again, leading Madison Keys 5–1 in the third set before falling in a tiebreak. She closed her season with a wildcard run to her first WTA final at the Pan Pacific Open, entering the top 50 for the first time.

In 2017, Osaka maintained a steady ranking, finishing the year at No. 68. She reached the round of 16 at the Canadian Open, where she upset No. 16 Anastasija Sevastova and won the second set against world No. 1 Karolína Plíšková before retiring with an abdominal injury. She also reached the third round at Wimbledon and the US Open, recording her first career top-10 victory over defending US Open champion Angelique Kerber at Flushing Meadows.

Major Titles and World No. 1 (2018–2019)

Hiring Sascha Bajin as her coach in the 2017 off-season sparked Osaka’s rise to the top of the sport. In March 2018, she won her first WTA title at the Indian Wells Open, defeating world No. 1 Simona Halep in the semifinals and Daria Kasatkina in the final. At the US Open later that year, she became the first Japanese Grand Slam singles champion by defeating Serena Williams in a final overshadowed by an on-court dispute between Williams and the chair umpire.

In January 2019, Osaka won the Australian Open, becoming the first woman to win consecutive major singles titles since Serena Williams in 2015 and the first Asian player to be ranked No. 1 in the world in singles. She held the No. 1 ranking for 25 weeks. After parting ways with Bajin shortly after the Australian Open, she later reunited with her father as coach and won the Pan Pacific Open in her hometown of Osaka and the China Open in back-to-back weeks.

Second US Open Title and Activism (2020)

Osaka played only four tournaments in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but reached her second US Open final against Victoria Azarenka. She became the first player to win the US Open women’s singles final by coming from a set down since 1994, claiming her third Grand Slam title. During the Cincinnati Open and US Open, both held in New York, she drew attention for her activism, walking onto the court for each match wearing a black mask bearing the name of a different African American victim of violence.

Fourth Major and Hiatus (2021–2022)

Osaka won her fourth Grand Slam title at the 2021 Australian Open, defeating Jennifer Brady in the final to join Roger Federer and Monica Seles as the only players in the Open Era to win their first four major finals. Following the tournament, she withdrew from the French Open after a dispute over mandatory media appearances, citing mental health concerns, and later withdrew from Wimbledon as well. She returned to win the Rising Stars Invitational in 2015 and finished 2021 by losing in the third round of the US Open to Leylah Fernandez.

In 2022, Osaka reached her first final since the 2021 Australian Open at the Miami Open, where she lost to Iga Świątek. She struggled with injuries throughout the year, withdrawing from several events with abdominal and ankle issues, and dropped to No. 85 in the rankings. Off the court, she launched Hana Kuma, a media and production company, and founded her own sports agency, Evolve.

Return and Resurgence (2023–2025)

Days before the 2023 Australian Open, Osaka announced she was expecting her first child with rapper Cordae and took a maternity break from the tour. She welcomed a healthy baby girl on July 7, 2023. Osaka returned to competition at the 2024 Brisbane International and reached the quarterfinals at the Qatar Ladies Open. By 2025, she had reunited with Tomasz Wiktorowski as her coach and reached her first WTA final since 2022 at the Auckland Open before winning the WTA 125 Open de Saint-Malo on clay, her first title since the 2021 Australian Open.

Driving Style and Strengths

Osaka is an aggressive baseline player whose game is built around raw power, particularly on her forehand and serve. Her serve has been clocked at up to 200 km/h (124 mph), placing her among the ten fastest servers in WTA history. While she can produce high numbers of winners, her success depends on winning extended rallies with consistency and reduced unforced errors. Coaches Tomasz Wiktorowski and previously Sascha Bajin have shaped her patient, positive tactical approach.

Notable Events and Milestones

Osaka lit the Olympic cauldron at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, becoming the first tennis player to receive that honor. She is the first Asian player and first Japanese player to reach No. 1 in singles, and the first Japanese player to win a Grand Slam singles title. In 2020, she became the highest-paid female athlete of all time and was named a 2020 Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year for her activism.

Naomi Osaka Career Wins

Naomi Osaka has captured seven career WTA singles titles, including four Grand Slam championships across the Australian Open and US Open. Her breakthrough came at the 2018 Indian Wells Open, followed later that year by her first major at the US Open. She added the 2019 and 2021 Australian Opens and the 2020 US Open to complete her Slam collection.

Grand Slam Highlights

Osaka won her first major title at the 2018 US Open, defeating Serena Williams in the final. Her second Slam followed at the 2019 Australian Open, and her third came at the 2020 US Open, where she came from a set down to defeat Victoria Azarenka. Her most recent major title was the 2021 Australian Open, capping a run of four straight Grand Slam final victories.

Other Wins and Performances

Beyond her major titles, Osaka has won at Indian Wells (2018), the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo (2018, 2019), the China Open (2019), and the WTA 125 Open de Saint-Malo on clay in 2025. She also reached the final at the 2022 Miami Open and the 2025 Canadian Open, losing both to top opposition.

Naomi Osaka Family

Family Background and Tennis Lineage

Naomi Osaka was born to Leonard François of Haitian origin and Tamaki Osaka of Japanese heritage. Her older sister, Mari Osaka, also pursued a professional tennis career. The sisters were coached in their early years by their father, who modeled his approach after Richard Williams’s development of Venus and Serena Williams. Naomi later trained under Patrick Tauma, Harold Solomon, David Taylor, Sascha Bajin, and her current coach, Tomasz Wiktorowski.

Personal Life

Osaka began a relationship with American rapper Cordae in 2019. The couple welcomed their first child, a daughter, on July 7, 2023. In January 2025, Osaka announced that she and Cordae were no longer in a relationship, noting there was no bad blood between them and that he remained an involved parent.

2025 Season Performance

Osaka opened her 2025 season at the Auckland Open, reaching her first final since 2022 before retiring with an abdominal injury after winning the first set against Clara Tauson. At the Australian Open, she advanced to the third round, her best major result since the 2022 Australian Open, before retiring against Belinda Bencic. The run lifted her ranking to world No. 42.

In May, Osaka entered the WTA 125 Open de Saint-Malo, her first appearance below the WTA Tour level since 2015, and won the title by defeating Kaja Juvan in the final. It was her first tournament victory on clay and her first title since the 2021 Australian Open. Later in the summer, she reached the final of the Canadian Open, losing in three sets to Victoria Mboko.

Under new coach Tomasz Wiktorowski, Osaka has shown renewed momentum, posting consistent deep runs and returning to the top 15 in the WTA rankings. Her blend of power serving, baseline aggression, and improved mental approach has positioned her as a contender heading into the latter half of the 2025 season, with renewed expectations for the upcoming major events.