Naomi Osaka answered how she finds motherhood by sharing what her daughter Shai does to make her emotional.
Osaka has significant ambitions for the 2025 season under the guidance of Patrick Mouratoglou, who began coaching the four-time Grand Slam champion after the US Open during the Asian swing.
The appointment of Mouratoglou was quite controversial. He played a significant role in getting Simona Halep suspended and creating the anxiety she experienced by giving her the collagen that was contaminated with a banned substance.
Although Mouratoglou enjoyed a very successful period working with the legendary Serena Williams, Osaka admitted she initially avoided the Frenchman because of the possibility that anyone could have coached someone as good as Williams to success.
However, Osaka has spoken positively about Mouratoglou's impact, even though they have only been at one tournament, the China Open, before she sustained a back injury against Coco Gauff that ruled her out for the rest of 2024.
Osaka wants to win more Grand Slams with Mouratoglou and is confident of climbing the rankings in 2025 after a mixed return to the sport in 2024. She was away on maternity leave during the entire 2023 season.
Millions of fans worldwide love Osaka for her blistering style of tennis, but she has also been open about her journey throughout motherhood. The 27-year-old gave birth to her daughter Shai while away from tennis in 2023.
After returning to the sport, Osaka admitted she struggled for several months with her body not returning to normal after being pregnant. The two-time US Open winner thought that process would be quicker because she is an athlete.
Recently, Osaka spoke far more positively about her body. The former world No. 1 shared a photo of her wearing practice clothes, which she had been avoiding in previous months because she had felt chubby in recent years.
Those topics might be explored further in Osaka's book, which she is currently writing. She already shared an excerpt from it, which discussed childhood and finding it challenging to like herself.
Another happy update from Osaka came after being asked a question on Instagram about being a mother. That led to her sharing a story of what daughter Shai does that gives the tennis star unique joy.
"Shai runs after me saying "mommy" now... I don't think I've ever felt this type of joy."
It is lovely to hear Osaka feeling happy as a mother. The foundation she and the father, Cordae, a well-known rapper, provide the child might help with that positive environment. Osaka discussed that in an interview with InStyle last year.
"It was life-changing in a day. From the moment that you come back home from the hospital, everything's different. I'm a big culture person, so I always love to celebrate. I want Shai to learn Japanese."
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