Naomi Osaka has time and again spoken about how becoming a mother has changed her perspective towards life. Osaka has been completely out of action since September 2022. She welcomed their daughter, Shai, with rapper Cordae in July last year. And then made a comeback earlier this year, just six months after giving birth to her daughter. Osaka said she took this decision for her little daughter, “I want to show Shai that she’s capable of everything, so that’s one of my main purposes and main reasons why I want to be back out here”.

And, now after making a comeback, she spoke about her goal of witnessing Shai watch her play. During an interview with Tennis Channel, Naomi Osaka was asked whether tennis fans will ever get the chance to watch beautiful Shai come and support her at any events in the near future. To this, the Japanese tennis gave a bright smile and said, “Hope so. You know, she’s the most active baby ever. She’s very curious about everything. So, I hope she would be able to sit still for that entire time.“

She further went on to add, “But yeah, definitely that was one of my goals for her to watch my matches when she gets older.“ During the 2024 Brisbane International, the first tournament on the WTA Tour after becoming a mother, Osaka said she felt as if Shai was watching her play. It added an extra motivation to bring the best out of her on the court.

Sharing her feelings after her comeback match, Naomi Osaka said, “I wouldn’t really say it feels differently. Well, that’s a lie. I felt, I don’t know like a part of me felt like Shai was watching me. I wanted to do my best for her.” She wants to be a good role model for Shai and make her witness the important chapter of her life. But not everything goes as planned. Naomi Osaka has been struggling to make a significant impact on the tournaments she has taken part in after her comeback. 

“Ruined her dreams” – Naomi Osaka after her exit from the Indian Wells

At the 2024 Indian Wells Masters, Naomi Osaka started off pretty well by winning her first two matches. Following her victory in the second-round match, she said, “I am just really excited to see Shai after this. I was thinking during the match that I really want to win because she really loves it out here so, who am I to take her away from the desert.“ But unfortunately for the Japanese tennis star, she faced defeat in her next match at the hands of Belgium’s Elise Mertens.

After this disappointing loss, she spoke about her previous comments and added, “Yeah, ruined her dreams.” She even gave a few glimpses of how the mother-daughter duo made the most of their time in Indian Wells by visiting the zoo and going out on hikes. Currently, Naomi Osaka is in Rome taking part in the 81st edition of the Italian Open. She has already got off to a winning start. It‘ll be interesting to see if she can carry forward this momentum and make a deep run into this tournament. Can she bring smiles to Shai’s face with her performance in Rome?