Naomi Osaka on her 'cute' interactions with daughter Shai: "If I FaceTime her, she'll kiss the phone back... I don't feel like I'm missing too much"
Naomi Osaka has spoken up about her heartwarming interactions with daughter Shai over FaceTime. The Japanese is currently competing at the Italian Open, where she has reached the fourth round after winning her third-round match 6-3, 6-3 against Daria Kasatkina.
The former WTA World No. 1 went into her clash against Kasatkina after beating Clara Burel in the first round and then No. 19 seed Marta Kostyuk in the second. It was the first time that Osaka had registered back-to-back wins on clay since 2019. Her win over Kostyuk also marked the first time she had defeated a top 20 player on the surface.
Against current WTA World No. 11 Kasatkina, who was also the No. 10 seed at the Italian Open, Osaka looked at her best. The Japanese capitalized on the Russian's underwhelming second serve, which helped her convert five break point opportunities. The four-time Grand Slam winner finished the contest with 30 winners and 25 unforced errors.
Following the conclusion of the match, Osaka attended a press conference, where she first answered questions in English and then switched to Japanese. While answering one of the Japanese questions, the 26-year-old said that even when she is on tour, away from her daughter, they interact over FaceTime. She revealed that Shai, who was born in July last year, can now "kiss the phone".
"I FaceTime her a lot. I get a lot of videos. She knows how to, like, kiss the phone. If I FaceTime her and I go (kissing sounds into the phone), then she'll kiss the phone back. I don't know, it's really cute. I don't feel like I'm missing too much 'cause I'm getting so many updates, yeah," Osaka told the press.
"Shai is coming to Paris" - Naomi Osaka
After her second-round win over Kostyuk in Rome, Osaka had said that Shai would be accompanying her during her 2024 French Open campaign.
"I'm just really excited to learn more about clay court and develop and go to Paris. Shai is coming to Paris, so that's something that's keeping me very, I don't know, happy," Osaka had said during a press conference.
For now, Naomi Osaka's sights will be firmly set on fourth-round opponent at the Italian Open, Zheng Qinwen, the current WTA World No. 7. The 2024 Australian Open finalist faced Linda Noskova in the third round and was stunned 3-6 in the first set. However, she recovered and won the next two sets 6-1, 6-2 to set up her clash against Osaka.
The winner of the match between Naomi Osaka and Zheng Qinwen will go on to meet either Coco Gauff or Paula Badosa in the quarterfinals in Rome.