"It’s like I’m an athlete and then I’m a mom at the same time" - Naomi Osaka on differences between playing tennis and motherhood
Naomi Osaka spoke about her experiences of pairing motherhood with playing professional tennis.
The Japanese skipped the entirety of the 2023 season due to her pregnancy and gave birth to her daughter Shai later during the year. She returned to action in 2024 and is currently in Indian Wells for the BNP Paribas Open, which she won in 2018.
Speaking to the media, Osaka spoke about several things, including how playing professionally affects her motherhood.
The 26-year-old said that once she was with her daughter, she instantly felt like a mother. However, once Osaka was away from her daughter, she was 'always an athlete'.
"When I come back to where she is, I’m immediately a mom,” Osaka said as quoted by the WTA. “So in some ways it’s really fun. But when I’m away from her, I’m always an athlete. But here it’s like I’m an athlete and then I’m a mom at the same time.
“There’s a constant surge of energy that I have to have. I hope that it ends up doing well for me here," the Japanese added.
"I've learned a lot of patience" - Naomi Osaka on her time off from tennis
Naomi Osaka said that a lengthy break from tennis taught her patience and resilience.
"I’ve learned a lot of patience,” the Japanese said. “Also resilience. I don’t know if some people might think they’re similar. I think you have to go through a lot of things playing tennis and you also have to be patient because things might not go your way."
“Eventually, if you keep trying they might. And if not, you have to try again another day," she added.
Naomi Osaka will start her Indian Wells campaign against former top-five player Sara Errani. It will be the second meeting between the two players, with the Japanese winning their previous encounter 6-1, 6-3 in the second round of the Miami Open in 2016.
The winner will take on 14th seed Liudmila Samsonova in the second round of the BNP Paribas Open.
Naomi Osaka has won three out of seven matches so far during the 2024 season, with her most notable performance being reaching the quarterfinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships.
The Japanese beat Caroline Garcia and Petra Martic before receiving a walkover to the last eight after her opponent Lesia Tsurenko withdrew. Osaka herself went on to withdraw from her quarterfinal clash.