"You are the truth!" - Naomi Osaka earns fellow mother Taylor Townsend's support after elimination by Iga Swiatek at French Open
Naomi Osaka was backed by American tennis star Taylor Townsend after her elimination from the French Open. Osaka was defeated by top-seeded Iga Swiatek 7-6, 1-6, 7-5 in the second round at Roland Garros.
Osaka took a nearly 15-month hiatus from the sport and announced her pregnancy in January last year. She gave birth to her daughter Shai in July. The 26-year-old returned to action in Brisbane, where she lost to Karolina Plíšková in the second round. The 2024 French Open marks her second Grand Slam appearance since the break.
Iga Swiatek was the overwhelming favorite to win the match; however, Naomi Osaka gave a tough fight. Despite falling behind in the first set, the Japanese came back stronger in the second, winning it 6-1. However, it wasn't enough to put down Świątek, as the Pole secured the final set 7-5, winning the match.
Following the elimination, Osaka shared an emotional message on Instagram. She posted a video of herself as she walked away from the court after the loss. She added a caption that read:
"Thank you, I had fun ❤️ see you next time."
Responding to the clip, Townsend encouraged Naomi Osaka and admired her despite the French Open loss, writing:
"You are the truth! I know you are proud of you.. but girl… so am I!"
Just like Osaka, Taylor Townsend also took a break from the sport owing to pregnancy. She gave birth to her son, Adyn Aubrey, on 14 March, 2021, and returned to court in 2022.
"Everyone asks me questions like this" - Naomi Osaka revealed how she manages motherhood with tennis
Naomi Osaka was asked in the poost-match press conference at Roland Garros 2024 if the role of "mother-manager" affects her performance on court.
Responding to that, Osaka reflected on being called a "mother-manager", acknowledging the dual role but admitting she doesn't consciously think about it. She mentioned that people often ask her about balancing these responsibilities:
"Did you call me a mother-manager? (smiles) Well, yeah, that is true I guess. To be honest, everyone asks me questions like this and I'm not really ever sure how to answer because I feel like it's something I don't think about. Maybe it's subconscious or something."
Osaka further stated the challenges of balancing motherhood with her tennis career. Being a mom requires patience according to her. However, she emphasized that on the court, she sees herself as a tennis player first:
"I'm aware that as a mom, you have to be more patient, you have to put your baby first and all those things, but in a way, I feel like when I'm on the tennis court, I'm a tennis player first. So, it's really tough, but I think when I play, I do find joy in knowing like, right now Shai is back at home, so it's giving me something like to look forward to a lot."
Naomi Osaka has struggled to make a deep run since her last Grand Slam victory at the 2021 Australian Open. Her best performance this season was at the Qatar Open, where she was knocked out by Karolina Plíšková in a close quarterfinal.