Naomi Osaka arrived at this year’s SW19 determined to turn things around after a streak of misfortune. The four-time Grand Slam champion cruised past Anastasia Gasanova to reach the third round for the third time at the All-England Club. Yet, it was her daughter Shai who became her biggest motivation, making this victory mean even more than the performance itself.

“Tomorrow’s my daughter’s birthday,” Naomi said at the post-match interview. “I just wanted to be here for longer. I don’t wanna make her get on a plane on her birthday. I was really happy about today.”

When asked about her plans to celebrate the special day with her daughter, Osaka added, “I have to practice in the morning, but maybe after we’ll go around the park and stuff. She loves making friends, so yeah, probably do that.”

Osaka and her ex-boyfriend, American rapper Cordae, welcomed their only child, Shai, back in July 2023. Since then, motherhood has become a huge part of the four-time Grand Slam champion’s journey on and off the court.

Even last year, the former world No. 1 uniquely celebrated her daughter’s birthday. After reaching R32 of SW19 on July 2, she posted a video of her All-England Club victory on IG.

In the caption, she simply wrote, “Happy Shai day.” The proud mother also shared another emotional update on Threads. “My big girl is 2 years old 🥹 I can’t believe it!” she wrote the same day.

Now she has another reason to celebrate, along with her daughter’s birthday. By reaching the third round at Wimbledon, Osaka has advanced to the third round at each of the first three Grand Slams of the season for only the 2nd time in her career since 2018.

And as she moves into the R3, she has also shared her feelings after reaching the latest milestone, and there seems to be plenty for her to look forward to.

Naomi Osaka reveals honest feelings after reaching R3 at Wimbledon

Osaka booked her place in R3 with a dominant straight-sets victory as the former world No. 1 defeated 225th-ranked qualifier Anastasia Gasanova 6-3, 6-2 in just 67 minutes. It was one of her cleanest performances at this year’s SW19 as the Japanese ace never faced a single break point during the entire match.

Even with such an impressive display, the 28-year-old felt there was still room to improve. “I don’t rate my performance. I feel like I have to take a little bit of time before that. I think my current emotions are that I am happy to win,” she said after the match.

Osaka has now played SW19 six times. Yet, before this year, her best result at Wimbledon was reaching the third round in 2017, 2018, and 2025.

She is making her sixth main-draw appearance at SW19 after missing three editions between 2021 and 2023 for various reasons. Now, she has another chance to change that record when she comes back on court on 3rd July after a commanding WTA 500 event a week ago.

To reach the R4 for the first time at the All-England Club, Osaka will need to defeat Daria Kasatkina in the third round on Friday. Hence, a place in the second week of the grass-court Slam is now within touching distance. The question is whether Osaka can take one more big step and finally break through at SW19.