Is Naomi Osaka American or Japanese?

Naomi Osaka, a Japanese tennis player who became a professional in September 2013, defeated former US Open winner Samantha Stosur at the age of 16 in her WTA Tour debut at the 2014 Stanford Classic. She became the first Asian player to be ranked as the world's top singles player in January 2019 by the WTA. As of December 2024, she is ranked No. 57 in the singles rankings and has won seven professional titles, including two Australian Opens in 2019 and 2021 and two US Opens in 2018 and 2020.

Osaka became the first woman to win consecutive major singles titles since Serena Williams in 2015, winning the 2018 US Open and the 2019 Australian Open. She was also the first Japanese player to win a major singles championship. Osaka's 2021 season ended early due to depression and other issues. She also took a major 15-month hiatus in 2023 due to her pregnancy; she returned to competition in 2024.

What is Naomi Osaka’s nationality?

Naomi Osaka is of Japanese nationality. She was born on October 16, 1997, in Chuo-ku, Osaka, Japan. Her father, Leonard Francois, is from Jacmel, Haiti, while her mother, Tamaki Osaka, is from Hokkaido, Japan. She was raised in America.

The reason Naomi plays tennis for Japan rather than the United States is because she and her sister have always felt more Japanese, according to Naomi's mother, who spoke to The Wall Street Journal in 2018. Tamaki said, “She was born in Osaka and was brought up in a household of Japanese and Haitian culture. Quite simply, Naomi and her sister Mari have always felt Japanese, so that was our only rationale.”

Naomi held dual citizenship in the United States and Japan for the majority of her life. However, she gave up her U.S. citizenship in October 2019. She was able to represent Japan in the 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo thanks to the ruling, but it wasn't the primary factor. Dual citizens are required under Japan's Nationality Act to select one before turning 22. Six days before that deadline, she made the choice to renounce her US citizenship. (via Stylecaster)

Naomi Osaka’s Hometown

Naomi Osaka and her family relocated to the U.S. from Japan when she was three years old. They initially resided in Long Island, New York, and then moved to Florida when Naomi was eight years old.

In a 2018 interview with The New York Times, Naomi's mother, Tamaki, revealed that in order to make it simpler for the sisters to stay in Japan and enroll in school or rent apartments, Naomi and her elder sister, Mari, adopted their mother's last name, Osaka, rather than their father's, Francois.

For most of their tennis careers, Naomi and Mari trained in Florida. At the age of 13, Naomi's father made the decision to have her and Mari play tennis for Japan rather than the US because the USTA wasn't really interested in the sisters. Naomi told The New York Times, “My dad thought that, since I grew up around my mom and I have a lot of Japanese relatives. I don’t necessarily feel like I’m American. I wouldn’t know what that feels like."

Naomi practiced on the public courts in Pembroke Pines during the day and attended homeschooling at night. At the age of 15, she started working at the ISP Academy with Patrick Tauma. She moved to the Harold Solomon Tennis Academy in 2014 and later to the ProWorld Tennis Academy. (via Stylecaster)