"It's either I have to be the best or I'm going to be homeless" - Naomi Osaka opens up about coming from a humble background in new biography

In her new biography, Naomi Osaka opened up about coming from a humble background and how that aspect of her life served as a driving force in her pursuit of being "the best" in tennis.

A biography titled "Naomi Osaka: Her Journey to Finding Her Power and Her Voice" has been written by tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg, focusing on the life, career and achievements of the Japanese.

As per an exclusive report by the Daily Mail, the book delves into the story of Osaka's parents, who immigrated to America with her and her elder sister Mari, with the hope that both sisters would achieve success in tennis, much like Venus and Serena Williams.

Osaka's family then relocated to Florida with the hope of pursuing their tennis dreams. It was there that her father, Leonard Francois, connected her and her sister Mari with tennis coaches who generously offered them free training. This was a significant opportunity for them, as their limited poor financial condition made it difficult for them to afford professional coaching.

Looking back at those times, Naomi Osaka expressed that from a young age, she was acutely aware of her family's limited financial resources. Consequently, she made a decision to pursue tennis as her career, striving to become "the best" in the sport. Her motivation stemmed from the belief that if she did not achieve excellence, she risked facing "homelessness."

'My parents weren't exactly the richest, so what am I going to do? I'm not really the smartest. It's either I have to be the best or I'm going to be homeless,' Rothenberg wrote quoting Osaka.

Naomi Osaka targets eight more Grand Slam titles and Paris 2024 Olympics gold medal after comeback

Naomi Osaka at Tokyo 2020 Olympics

Naomi Osaka became a mother in July this year. She gave birth to her first child, a daughter named Shai. Osaka has been on maternity leave following her withdrawal from the Australian Open 2023. Since then, she has set her sights on executing ambitious goals on her comeback.

The four-time Grand Slam champion expressed her aspirations of capturing eight additional Grand Slam titles and securing a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. She said that these goals are serving as powerful sources of motivation for her comeback to the sport.

"I want to win eight more Grand Slams and try to win the gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. It's one of the goals that excites me the most about returning to sport. I took a break, but I always feel very competitive and full of desire to win the most important tournaments in my sport again," Osaka said [via tennisworIdusa.com.]

Naomi Osaka last played at the 2022 Japan Open. She last won a title at the 2021 Australian Open, where she defeated Jennifer Brady in the final.

Following her win at the 2021 Australian Open, the former World No. 1's next Grand Slam match win came at the 2022 Australian Open. Osaka had advanced to the third round in the tournament before being defeated by Amanda Anisimova.