Former world number one and four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka embraced motherhood recently. As Naomi learns the ropes of parenting, her mother, Tamaki Osaka reflects on her own journey as a mother, raising two daughters. Tamaki reminisced about the path that led her daughter to become a tennis superstar. She also revealed how the Williams sisters played an instrumental role in it.
Naomi was an independent toddler. Naomi and her older sister Mari were competitive from a young age and were encouraged to play with others.
On a fateful day in 1999, Tamaki saw Venus and Serena Williams lift the French Open title as a doubles team. That day changed the course of their lives as Tamaki and Max wanted their children to become tennis players like the Williams sisters.
The Osaka matriarch added that she wanted to instill a dream in them. “The way [the Williams sisters] flew around the world and influenced society blew my mind,” she said (via The Japan News).
She enrolled both her daughters in a gymnastics school in the Namba district. While Tamaki had a dream for her daughters, the reality was very different. She took on additional jobs to make ends meet.
Even though neither parent knew anything about tennis, they wanted their children to start playing as soon as they could. They faced rejections from tennis schools but it did not deter them.
Finally, a tennis school accepted Mari because she could play return shots very well. Naomi, who was only allowed to watch her older sister at the time, said, “I want to do that too.”
The rest, of course, is history. The Osaka family eventually decided to move to New York City and Naomi became a huge tennis star. She also got to play with one of the Williams sisters- Serena, who played a big part in the life of the Osakas.
Naomi Osaka got to play against Serena Williams
Serena has been intertwined in Naomi’s life since the latter could stand on her own feet. The two clashed 5 times before Williams retired, and their second encounter was a bittersweet one. They locked horns in the final of the US Open in 2018, and Naomi emerged victorious.
It was a joyous occasion for Naomi but it was marred with controversy. The umpire had given Williams a code violation for getting signals from her coach. Serena argued that she was not a cheater.
The umpire handed her another code violation when she smashed her racket on the court in frustration. Under Grand Slam rules, this cost her a point. The official docked another point for verbal abuse when Williams hit back at him. Osaka was one game away from the championship and she grabbed it.
There is mutual admiration between them. Naomi has always acknowledged Serena as one of her biggest inspirations. Tamaki had a dream for her daughter and Naomi made them come true.