Naomi Osaka started 2024 with enormous joy, because she returned to the courts after a break of more than 15 months in which she became a mother for the first time. But the happiness of that return was overshadowed by a shocking complaint made on social networks by Mari, her older sister, against Leonard François, their father, whom she accused of having abused her and her mother for a long time.
"I want you to know how disgusted and disappointed I am with you, as a parent and as a human being in general. You've failed in every way imaginable. You've abused me since I was young and you continue to harass my mother. You continue to abuse her emotionally and invade our home," Mari wrote on Instagram.
Soon after, Naomi's sister closed her account on that social network, but by then, her complaint had already gone viral.
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I make this public because you are a coward who relies on your physical strength to beat me and our reluctance to call the police. This is it, the next time I see you, I'll call the police. Consider it a threat. I wouldn't mind if you were killed considering how much you harmed me and the whole family. If you come back to our house and threaten to beat us again, I will confront you. I'll kill you, unless you kill me first with a weapon like the coward you are. Let's see what kind of man you really are, even though I've known since I was born that I'm a child of the devil. God help me when I come back," the former player concluded.
The complaint of Mari Osaka, Naomi's sister, against their father. Photo: Instagram
Those harsh words made many turn their eyes to the hard times the sisters went through in their tennis careers and wonder if they had anything to do with the alleged abuse reported by Mari.
Pushed by Leonard – who, seeing the natural talent of his daughters, introduced them to tennis, following the example of Richard Williams, father of Serena and Venus – the Osaka began playing at a very young age.
Mari didn't have a very successful stint on the professional circuit. She broke into the top 300 in 2018 and obtained her best results - not very outstanding - in doubles, a specialty in which she came to play alongside Naomi. He retired at the age of 24 – he's 27 today – because he "didn't enjoy tennis anymore" and needed to stop.
Her younger sister did make her mark. Winner of four Grand Slams – the 2019 and 2021 Australian Open and the 2018 and 2020 US Open – she reached world number one for the first time in January 2019 and last held that position in September 2019. But at his best, he suffered a mental breakdown.
In 2021, he refused to speak to the press following his Roland Garros debut on "mental health" grounds. "I saw a lot of videos of athletes breaking down in a press room after losing a match," he said, acknowledging that facing the conferences - mandatory for top players - caused him anxiety and stress.
Naomi and Mari shared the court as doubles partners. Photo: Twitter
After receiving a fine and a notice of expulsion; The Japanese withdrew from the tournament before their second-round match. "I've suffered long periods of depression since the 2018 US Open. When I arrived in Paris I felt anxious and that's why I decided not to talk," she explained, acknowledging the weight of the pressure to stay among the best.
Osaka, who at the time was the highest-paid athlete in the world, later gave up Wimbledon and returned for the Tokyo Olympics, where she lost in the round of 16. And after being eliminated in New York in the third round, she announced that she would quit tennis for a while. "I usually like a challenge, but recently I've been feeling really anxious when things don't go my way," she said.
He didn't play for long. She returned in January 2022 on the Australian tour, although in that season she did not have regularity - she only played one final, in Miami - and experienced some tough situations, such as the one she starred in Indian Wells, when she broke down in the middle of the match after being insulted by a spectator. During those difficult times, Mari was a fundamental support for Naomi, as she herself assured.
In January of last year, she announced that she was pregnant and would miss the entire 2023 season. In July, she gave birth to her daughter Shai and last Monday she played her first official match since September 2022 by making her debut at the WTA 500 in Brisbane, for which she received a wild card, as inactivity left her unranked.
Naomi returned to play this week, after a 15-month hiatus in which she became a mother. Photo: Patrick HAMILTON/AFP
"Shai has helped me grow a lot and very fast. On the court, it's helping me to be stronger and more present in the moment," said Naomi, who didn't make it past the second round, but still left with a good feeling.
In the midst of the joy for her return, the bombshell exploded over Mari's post, which brought the focus back to that mental crisis she suffered a few years ago and opened many questions about whether she had also experienced the abuse that her sister denounced and if those experiences have also influenced the former number one.