Naomi Osaka has no peace: she has returned after becoming a mother, but a serious complaint from her sister against her father shakes the world of tennis

Naomi Osaka 2024 started with enormous joy, because she returned to the field 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 media. Marihis older sister, against Leonardo Francoisfather of both, who she accused of having long abused her and her mother.

“I want you to know how upset and disappointed I am in you, as a father and as a human being in general. You have failed in every way imaginable. You have abused me since I was young and continue to molest my mother. You continue to abuse her emotionally and invading our home,” Mari wrote instagram.

Soon after, Naomi’s sister closed her account on that social networkbut at that point His complaint had already gone viral..

“I’m making this public because you are a coward who relies on his physical strength. to beat me and in our reluctance to call the police. That’s all, next time I see you, I’m calling the police. Consider it a threat. I wouldn’t care if they killed you, considering how much you hurt me and the whole family. If you come back to our house and threaten to hit us again, I will confront you. I will kill you, unless you kill me with a gun first, like the coward that you are. Let’s see what kind of man you really are, even though I have known since I was born that I am the devil’s child. God help me when I come back,” concluded the former player.

Those harsh words prompted many to look back at the difficult 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 Williamsdad of Serene AND Venus-, Osaka started playing when they were very young.

Mari hasn’t had much success on the professional circuit. She entered the top 300 in 2018 and achieved her best results – not exceptional – in doubles, a specialty in which she played alongside Naomi. You retired at age 24 – now 27 – because you “didn’t like tennis anymore” and he needed to stop.

His younger sister left her mark. Winner of four Grand Slam tournaments -el Australian Open 2019 and 2021 and the US Open 2018 and 2020-, he reached world number one for the first time in January 2019 and last held that position in September 2019. But in his prime, he had a nervous breakdown.

In 2021 he refused to speak to the press after his debut in Roland Garros for “mental health” reasons. “I saw many videos of athletes collapsing in the press room after losing a match”, he commented, admitting that facing conferences – mandatory for top players – caused him anxiety and stress.

After receiving a fine and a deportation warning; The Japanese withdrew from the competition before the second round duel. “I have suffered long periods of depression since the 2018 US Open. When I arrived in Paris I noticed anxiety and that’s why I decided not to speak,” she explained that she acknowledged the weight of the pressure to remain among the best.

Osaka, who was the highest-paid athlete in the world at the time, later stopped playing Wimbledon and returned to the Tokyo Olympics, in which they lost in the round of 16. And after being eliminated in New York in the third round, she announced that she would leave tennis for a while. “I normally like challenges, but recently I feel very anxious when things don’t go my way,” she said.

There wasn’t much time left without playing. He returned in January 2022 on the Australian tour, although that season was not regular: he only played one final, in You love me– and has experienced some difficult situations, like the one he acted in Indian wells, when she collapsed in the middle of the match after being insulted by a spectator. In those difficult moments Mari was a fundamental support for Naomi, as she herself stated.

In January 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 he played his first official match since September 2022, when he made his debut in Brisbane WTA500for which she received a wild card, as inactivity left her unranked.

“Shai has helped me grow a lot and very quickly. On the court, he’s helping me be stronger and more present in the moment,” said Naomi, who didn’t make it past the second round, but left anyway with a nice feeling. .

In the midst of the joy of her return, the bomb exploded due to Mari’s post, which once again brought attention to that mental crisis she suffered a few years ago and raised many doubts about whether she too had experienced the abuse reported by his sister. and whether those experiences will also have influenced the former number one.