“I’m defintely happier now,” is what Naomi Osaka said ahead of her match against Karolina Muchova at the China Open. The former World No.1 was candid enough to admit that tennis was no longer her highest priority, an approach that helped her handle the losses better. Having said that, it still would have taken a lot for the Japanese player to digest her loss against Muchova in Beijing, but the four-time Major champion did not leave her fans hanging, assuring them she had better things to look forward to.

“Adding on this to say I’ve seen some people say they’re gutted for me, please don’t be sad!,” said Osaka on Threads. “My life is a blessing, I’m literally going to fly back home- see my beautiful daughter and spend my birthday with my family for the first time in years. I tried my best and I’ll have an opportunity to try again in Tokyo, It’ll be alright!”

Osaka’s message assuring her fans came on the heels of her receiving a heartwarming letter from a fan. The Japanese player shared the letter on her Instagram, which showed the fan showing full support to the four-time Major champion after the Beijing loss. Osaka was quite moved by the emotional gesture.

“Words cannot describe..I genuinely don’t deserve you all and I am so grateful,” said Osaka on her Instagram story. “Thank you so much for writing this letter; thank you for cheering for me, thank you for making me feel like my existence means something.”

Because her birthday falls on October 16, Osaka has had difficulty enjoying her special day. The Asian swing is at its peak during this time on the tennis calendar, with events in Beijing, Wuhan, and Tokyo, all of which are massive draws for the crowd, with the former World No.1 having massive home support.

Having her daughter, Shai, in 2023, Osaka has often spoken about how tennis took a backseat to her role as a mother. Ahead of the US Open this year, the two-time champion at Flushing Meadows called the sport her “side hustle”. While Osaka is looking ahead to some happy times with her family, it is understandable from a fan perspective why the Beijing loss might have hurt more.

Playing Muchova has always been a challenge for Osaka, with the Czech player having a 4-3 head-to-head record against the Japanese player ahead of the Beijing clash. On this occasion, Osaka held a 4-1 lead in the first but could not drive it home, as Muchova mounted a tremendous comeback to win the set 7-5.

The second set saw Osaka take an early lead as well, but this time the four-time champion managed to hold on to her lead. She broke Muchova twice to win the second set 6-1. With all the momentum behind her, the former World No.1 took yet another 3-1 lead in the final set, only for Muchova to square it at 3-3. Serving at 4-5, Osaka showed the mettle of a champion, saving five match points to make it 5-5, and take the match to a deciding set tiebreak.

Muchova kept her nose ahead on the scoreboard, but Osaka was in no mood to relent, saving three more match points in the tiebreak. Muchova did prove the stronger of the two in the end, with the Czech player converting on her ninth match point. Given that she is a former champion in Beijing, Osaka lost a great opportunity to go deep in the tournament once more, with the likes of Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina already knocked out of the draw.

Having a daughter might have reshuffled Osaka’s priorities in managing her schedule, but the former World No.1 has been adamant that Shai is her inspiration to keep going. The will to play still burns bright for the four-time Major champion, which was evident from what she said after her Miami Open loss this year.

“Obviously, I would love to play, but like I said last year … for me, my daughter is very important, and I want to be a mom,” said Osaka after her opening round exit in Miami. “I want to be the best mom I can, but sometimes I feel like I know what I have to do to become a really good player, and it’s very difficult.”

Even though she is more mature in terms of dealing with losses, the former World No. 1 did not shy away from her desire to still win titles and go deep at bigger events. Osaka had no qualms about her tennis career now being a race against time, as more Tour life meant more time away from her daughter, and she did not have time to keep making early-round exits.

Since her comeback in 2024, Osaka has had some memorable runs, but she has yet to win a Tour-level title since the 2021 Australian Open. After her comeback, the World No. 17 has reached three finals on the Tour, the most high-profile of which was at the Canadian Open last year, where she lost to Victoria Mboko. She also reached the final in Auckland last year and at the Bad Homburg Open this year, but on both occasions, the Japanese player had to retire from her matches due to injuries.