Naomi Osaka melts after sweet gesture from her mother Tamaki to celebrate her birthday amid Japan Open run

Naomi Osaka melted as she received a heartwarming birthday gift from her mother, Tamaki, but expressed that the latter had broken the record by wishing her three days before. Osaka, currently playing at the Japan Women's Open, reached the second round of the home event.

Naomi Osaka hails from a diverse cultural background, as her father, Leonard Francois, is from Haiti, and her mother, Tamaki, is from Japan. Despite their non-sporting backgrounds, the Grand Slam champion always received her parents’ unwavering support. Francois drew inspiration from Richard Williams, the father of tennis legends Serena and Venus Williams, watched footage of the sisters’ matches, and incorporated his observations into training Osaka and her sister, Mari, on the court.

Naomi Osaka's mother also dedicated her life to helping her daughter build a successful career. She also became a mainstay in Osaka's tournaments. On a recent Instagram story, the 27-year-old gushed about her birthday present from Tamaki, but noted that the latter had broken her record by wishing her three days before her birthday.

Sharing a picture of a bunch of flowers and a little note, saying, 'Happy Birthday, ' Osaka wrote:

"Lol my mom is always the first to wish me happy birthday.. 3 days early is a new record haha"

Osaka received an early birthday present from her mother Tamaki; Instagram - @naomiosaka

Osaka has been competing at the Japan Open, where she defeated fellow Japanese Sonobe Wakana in the first round and will next go head-on with Suzan Lamens.

Naomi Osaka once shared that her mother Tamaki worked extra hours to fulfill her daughter's dreams

Osaka at the 2025 Wuhan Open - Day 5 - Source: Getty

Naomi Osaka was born in Japan, but her family moved to New York for better opportunities when she was three. While her mother worked overtime, her father developed a training model for her and her sister, similar to the one followed by the iconic Williams sisters. Reflecting on how her parents struggled yet continued to support the sisters’ passion with unwavering dedication, Osaka said:

"I came from a mom that worked for basically my entire childhood to put me through tennis. My dad, who was with me the entire time. And I knew that they had a really hard time, you know?" she said to CBS.

"Tennis is an expensive sport. So, just to put two kids through that and just, I guess, believe in them so much is something that – I always call my parents a bit crazy. Because that's definitely a dream. But I think they completed that, and I am where I wanted to be as a kid," the Grand Slam champion added.

Osaka won four major titles in her career, at the 2019 and 2021 Australian Open and the 2018 and 2020 US Open.