'There aren’t really that many schools': How Naomi Osaka turned her father’s Haitian roots

Naomi Osaka’s connection to Haiti began long before she became a Grand Slam champion. Her father, Leonard “Maxime” Francois, returned to his hometown of Jacmel and started the Osaka Foundation with her mother, Tamaki Osaka, in 1999. The family built an education and sports centre for children in the community, creating a project that existed years before Naomi became a global tennis star.For Naomi, the foundation became more personal when she finally visited Haiti. Her first trip came in Oct. 2017. She returned in November 2018, just two months after winning her first Grand Slam title at the US Open.Naomi Osaka saw her father’s legacy firsthand in HaitiThe Osaka Foundation began after Francois returned to Jacmel, where he wanted to help children in his community. The foundation says the family set aside 20 acres for the project and initially focused on tennis.