Naomi Osaka reveals what helped her to avoid 'feeling meaningless'
NewsFriday, 07 November 2025 at 13:25
Naomi Osaka has offered insight into how becoming a mother and taking maternity leave had a significant impact on her life.
The former WTA world No. 1 did not play in the 2023 season while focusing on being a mother to her daughter, Shai. Although there were many great stories during that season, including Coco Gauff's maiden Grand Slam title, Osaka was missed.
Her absence from the WTA Tour ended at the start of 2024. Osaka struggled for consistency for most of the last two years and became emotional during some press conferences after defeats.
The Japanese star's fortunes have shifted since Iga Swiatek's former coach, Tomasz Wiktorowski, joined her team before the Canadian Open. She was the runner-up to Victoria Mboko in Montreal and a semifinalist at the US Open.
However, Osaka's perspective on life had already shifted before that. In an appearance on the Tennis Insider Club Podcast with Caroline Garcia, she discussed how taking a pregnancy break made her see the value of things beyond winning tennis matches.
"I've always constantly taken little breaks in my career, but I think my pregnancy break was the one that made me realize a lot of things about myself. For me, it was really important because I didn't see the worth I had as a human outside of tennis."
"I would lose a match and then feel like my life is meaningless ... like the only value I had was winning. So I feel like I needed to take a break to discover what I'm capable of, or what I can give to the world."
Osaka had bravely started talking about her mental health struggles before going on maternity leave. Those issues might have made it the ideal time to step away from professional tennis and focus her energies elsewhere.
Although managing her mental health will remain important, Osaka seems to be in a much happier and more stable place. Achieving strong results on the court matters, but not as much as being content in life.
Could 2026 be a great year for Naomi Osaka?
Osaka's strong results since Wiktorowski became her coach raise the question of whether she can perform consistently well in 2026. She came within a tiebreak of reaching this year's US Open final before falling to Amanda Anisimova.
Her last Grand Slam final appearance came at the 2021 Australian Open, where she won the title. Osaka's other Major titles occurred at the 2018 US Open, 2019 Australian Open, and the 2020 US Open.
The hard-court Grand Slams in Melbourne and New York almost certainly remain her best chance of securing a fifth Major title. That makes having a good off-season and being ready for next year's Australian Open very important.
If fit, Aryna Sabalenka will start as the Australian Open favorite. The world No. 1 has reached every hard-court Grand Slam final since the 2023 Australian Open, winning four of her six finals in that period.
Osaka's improved level under Wiktorowski's guidance might make her among the favorites outside of Sabalenka for the title.
Popular News
Just In
Loading