Naomi Osaka finds her first children's book in bookstore while shopping for daughter Shai

Naomi Osaka recently shared that she stumbled upon her first children's book, "The Way Champs Play" while browsing through a bookstore while shopping for her daughter, Shai.

The book, released last year on December 6, marked Osaka's first publishing project for her company, Hana Kuma. At the time of its release, the four-time Grand Slam champion expressed that she wrote the book with the intention to inspire children and instill a strong sense of self-belief in them, as they pursue their dreams.

Recently, Osaka took to social media and shared a picture of herself at Barnes & Noble, an American bookseller, with her book displayed in the background. In her post, she expressed excitement after stumbling upon "The Way Champs Play" while shopping for her daughter.

"Went to Barnes and Noble yesterday to get books for Shai and I saw my book," Osaka captioned her Instagram story.

Naomi Osaka's Instagram story

At the time of the release of the book, in a now-deleted post on Instagram, Naomi Osaka had wished for the book to serve as an inspiration for children. She expressed that the book holds a special place in her heart while stating that a portion of the book's proceeds would be given to her foundation, which is committed to supporting young girls in sports.

"I hope this book inspires kids to chase their dreams and encourages them to believe they can do anything they put their minds to. This book holds an extra special place in my heart as a portion of the proceeds will go to my foundation @playacademynaomi which works to support young girls in sport," Osaka had captiond her Instagram post.

Naomi Osaka in her new biography: "It's either I have to be the best or I'm going to be homeless"

Naomi Osaka at the 2021 French Open

In her biography, titled 'Naomi Osaka: Her Journey to Finding Her Power and Her Voice,' written by tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg, the author delves into the life of Naomi Osaka.

As per an exclusive report by the Daily Mail, Rothenberg discusses how Osaka's parents immigrated from Japan to America with the dream of seeing both Osaka and her elder sister, Mari, become tennis stars, much like Venus and Serena Williams.

Osaka's father, Leonard Francois had made the decision to relocate his family to a community predominantly inhabited by underprivileged Haitian families due to their financial struggles. He then made another move to Florida, where he believed he would be able to develop both his daughters' tennis.

Leonard even left his job to coach both Naomi Osaka and Mari. He believed that he could become someone like Richard Williams, father of Venus and Serena Williams, who had coached his daughters to greatness.

Coming from a humble background and then with her father leaving his job to coach both Osaka and Mari, the family struggled financially.

In the biography, Naomi Osaka discussed her awareness of her family's financial struggles and how from a young age, she understood the importance of being the "best" in tennis, as she believed it was her only path to avoid 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.