Naomi Osaka had mixed reactions about her recent victory. This WTA pro has made a successful return to the clay court after a long period of absence. While this victory surely calls for a celebration for Osaka fans, the rising star in tennis revealed her struggles in balancing motherhood with professional objectives.

The four-time Grand Slam champion secured a victory over Belgian Greet Minnen in the first round of the Madrid Open after missing out on the ATP Masters 1000 event last year. Despite securing her first win, Osaka talked about the pain of not being able to see her daughter Shai due to her professional commitments. Osaka told PuntoDeBreak– “I’ve been away from Shai from Japan, so it feels like an eternity even though only two weeks have passed. I’ve been FaceTimeing with her every day and watching videos, but that makes me a little sad.”

While Shai’s reference brought a little sadness in Osaka’s heart, she still showed great confidence about this season. This Japanese WTA star further said- “In general, I think I’m doing pretty well. I set myself a goal and I want to make the most of my time here and I hope to learn a lot from this season.” Despite missing her daughter Shai, Osaka expressed great enthusiasm to win her debut clay court title after motherhood.

Osaka was last seen on the clay court in the Madrid Open 2022. She concluded by saying- “I would like to win a tournament on clay. I think it would be very ironic, but also funny if my first tournament after motherhood was on clay. Every tournament I play, I want to win. I know that the results so far have not shown it, but I really think something is going to click eventually, and when it does, I think I’ll be really good.”

Given her past achievements and the natural talent she possesses, fans are hopeful for her on this tour. In fact, Osaka, who is on a quest to win titles this year, revealed her source of motivation to improve her skills on clay.

Japanese WTA star Naomi Osaka wishes to “do the best with” what she has after proceeding to the Madrid Open’s second round

Naomi Osaka, after her first win on clay since 2022, said she is taking inspiration from players who are good on clay courts. At the same time, she remained humble about her skills on the clay surface. Osaka said– “I’ve had several ‘incidents’ on clay but I’m embracing it a lot more now, I feel like there’s definitely beauty to it. I’m taking a lot of inspiration from people that do very well here. I’m not expecting to be like, Iga (Swiatek), or something, but I just want to do the best with what I have.”

Osaka concluded by saying- “I think just movement-wise I’m feeling a lot more comfortable. I think shot-wise, I hit a couple of heavy balls. Hopefully, I’m able to continue that.” 

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Naomi Osaka’s revelation about missing her daughter showcases the struggles of WTA players who recently became mothers. For now, it remains to be seen how Naomi Osaka copes with being away from her daughter while simultaneously keeping her focus on tennis. Will motherhood be a catalyst or a hindrance in her quest to reach peak form? Let us know in the comments section below.