Leonard Francois is famous as the father of famous tennis stars Naomi Osaka and her sister, Mari Osaka. On his own, Francois is not a popular figure even though he has contributed his quota in helping his daughters to reach where they are today in sports.
Noami Osaka Once revealed that her father annoys her so much and she uses the anger to fuel herself on the court. Although she has come out to say she loves him, many have come to question the relationship between the two. Here are all the unknown details about him.
Who is Leonard Francois?
Osaka’s father, Leonard Francois was born in Haiti, although the date of his birth still remains a mystery as most other things about him. A better part of what is known about Francois revolves around his daughters and the important role he played in their lives.
Nonetheless, it is known that when he was much younger, he also got involved in Tennis. He spent some part of his life in Japan where he met the woman he later married, Tamaki Osaka. After a little while, he moved back to the United States with his parents who were Haitians and spoke no English at all.
It was after moving to Florida that he got his daughters fully involved in playing tennis although he had already started teaching them in Japan.
What is the net worth of Leonard Francois?
The professional life of Leonard is still not known, just as his salary and other earnings. Because of this, his actual net worth cannot be guessed.
His daughter Naomi Osaka, on the other hand, has a net worth that is in the tune of $25 million as of 2021. According to Forbes, became the highest-paid female athlete in the world after she won her first Grand Slam at the U.S Open final.
Osaka made history after beating her idol, Serena Wiliams. She earned $37.4 million from prize money and endorsements making her $1.4 million more than Serena Williams. Osaka set an all-time earnings record for a female athlete in just a year.
5 Unknown Facts about Naomi Osaka’s Father
1. The love life between Leonard Francois and Tamaki was considered a disgrace
Leonard Maxime Francois was a young student in college student from New York in Hokkaido when he met a young lady named Tamaki Osaka. The two fell in love, although racial purity was something strictly upheld.
Tamaki Osaka was in her 20s at the time, and her father wanted to talk about a matchmaking process that would see her matched with a suitor for marriage known as omiai. To his shock, his daughter was already in a relationship with another man who happened to be black.
The old man was enraged that her daughter was set to bring disgrace upon his family by getting involved with a black man. Leonard and Tamaki decided to move to Osaka where they found jobs and started their family. For the next 10 years that followed, Tamaki remained estranged from her family.
2. It was his decision that his daughters would play Tennis like the William sisters
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Naomi Osaka and Mari were still toddlers when their father decided his daughters were going to play tennis. He came to this decision after he watched prodigies, Venus and Serena Williams, then 18 and 17, play. He realized that the girls were also taught by their father who had never before playing tennis, something he once played.
Leonard Francois became the first coach of his daughters when Naomi was just 3. To give them a better opportunity at achieving the dreams he had for them, Leonard moved his family to the United States where he continued to teach them using DVDs and other materials.
3. Leonard Francois decided his daughters would represent Japan
Just as Leonard Francois decided very early that his daughters were going to play tennis, so also he decided that instead of America or Haiti, he wanted them to represent Japan, even with the racial issues that existed in Japan, which shaped their own story.
Why he went with Japan over America was because the Tennis Association in the States refused to assist in the development of the girls, because it felt they were not good enough. The girls were very happy with this decision. Later in the future, Osaka would give up her U.S. citizenship in order to play for Japan.
See Also: Cori Gauff: 30 Things You Didn’t Know About the Terrific Tennis Phenomenon
4. Why his daughters don’t use his name
Both Naomi and her older sister Mari do not use their father’s name, instead, they use Osaka. Naturally, one would get to think it is because he was not involved in their lives or because their mother was married to another man. Contrary to this, Francois was there for his daughters and he allowed them to use the name which was not only their mother’s name but also the town in which they were born.
5. Did Naomi’s father annoy her?
After her after Beijing win, Naomi said her father annoyed her so much. Obviously, to everyone, she was only joking about it as Naomi and her father enjoy a very good relationship. In fact, as already stated, he is largely responsible for what she has achieved over the years. She is grateful to him and she loves him.
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