"When I type something I just run away" - Naomi Osaka on opening up about the "stress on moms to bounce back"
Naomi Osaka has opened up about the stress that female athletes experience after becoming mothers. The Japanese's words came in the aftermath of her comprehensive 6-3, 6-1 win over Ons Jabeur in the first round of the ongoing National Bank Open in Toronto.
Osaka became a mother on July 2, 2023, when she gave birth to her and her partner Cordae's daughter Shai. The former World No. 1 returned to action at the start of this season following the conclusion of her maternity leave. But she is yet to rediscover the form that made her a feared player on the WTA Tour in the second half of the 2010s.
However, against two-time Wimbledon finalist and No. 9 seed Jabeur in Toronto, the four-time Major winner was ruthless and relentless. Osaka's powerful groundstrokes proved too hot to handle for the usually crafty Tunisian. After the match, the Japanese attended a press conference, where she was asked about a post she shared earlier this year on X that had to do with her motherhood, which quickly went viral.
Osaka's response started with a dash of humor, as she hilariously said that whenever she posts something on X about being a mother, she runs away soon after. The former World No. 1 cited the stress on female athletes who have become mothers to "bounce back" as the reason for doing so.
"Oh, when I type something I just run away from the app after (laughing). I try not to look. You know, I think there's so much stress on moms to, like, bounce back or, like, get back to something," Osaka said.
Osaka went on to say that "giving birth" has become "normalized" to the extent that sometimes people don't realize the complications associated with pregnancy and how they can drastically alter a female athlete's life.
"I feel like it's a beautiful, magical thing that you've created a life inside of you, and you almost don't even really get to treasure that moment. I think for me, I don't know, I feel like giving birth is, it's normalized, and almost every, like, mom that I know has had a really difficult pregnancy and labor, so I wish that women could see how strong they are, but also not feel, like, too many expectations at the same time to, I guess, look a certain way or be a certain way," Osaka added.
Naomi Osaka set to face Elise Mertens next at the National Bank Open
Osaka would be hopeful of starting where she left off against Jabeur in the second round of the National Bank Open in Toronto. The Japanese is slated to lock horns with Belgian's Elise Mertens in the second round of the WTA 1000 event on Thursday, August 8.
The former World No. 1 has faced the Belgian on six previous occasions on the WTA Tour and has a 4-2 lead in their head-to-head. Two of those meetings came earlier this year, with their 2024 BNP Paribas Open (Indian Wells) clash going Mertens' way and their more recent Libema Open encounter going Osaka's way.
If Osaka manages to get past Mertens, she will face either 22-year-old compatriot Moyuka Uchijima or No. 6 seed Liudmila Samsonova in the next round.