Naomi Osaka recently enjoyed some quality time with her daughter Shai. The Japanese tennis player gushed over getting to live her ‘dream life’ and gave her fans a glimpse of her outing with her daughter.
Osaka announced that was expecting her first child in January 2023, and subsequently pulled out of the Australian Open. She welcomed her daughter in July 2023. While the tennis star has been fairly protective of Shai’s privacy, she shares semi-regular updates of her life as mom with fans.
Most recently, the 27-year-old gave fans a glimpse of what her dream life looks like with her daughter. Sharing a photo of some colorful chalk drawings on concrete on her Instagram stories, Naomi Osaka wrote,
“Living my dream life and it’s pretty cool.”
Via @naomiosaka on Instagram
Via @naomiosaka on Instagram
After giving birth to Shai, Osaka returned to the tennis courts in early 2024, playing at the Brisbane International as a wildcard.
Naomi Osaka opens up on balancing tennis and motherhood
Osaka speaks at the The MGM Rewards Slam (Image Source: Getty)
Osaka speaks at the The MGM Rewards Slam (Image Source: Getty)
While Naomi Osaka returned to the WTA Tour only six months after giving birth to her daughter, the former World No.1 has struggled with getting back to the top of her game.
Recently, the tennis star opened up about the challenges of returning to competition after giving birth. She highlighted that while she initially felt like she was playing catch-up with other players, she has recently found her rhythm.
“It’s definitely been a challenge returning to elite sport after giving birth. The sport continues with or without you and you’re playing a bit of catch-up when returning from a hiatus. Recently, I’ve been feeling like I’m returning to pre-pregnancy performance level and it’s a great feeling knowing that all the hard work I’ve been putting in is paying off.” (via Japan Times)
Osaka went on to explain that she sometimes felt more pressure to win since becoming a mother, saying,
“Sometimes I feel like I’m missing important moments, so I feel like I’ll put extra pressure on myself to win because it feels like it’s all for nothing, missing this time with my daughter, if I’m not getting the results,” she said.
After returning to the tennis courts in 2024, Naomi Osaka’s best results last year were quarterfinal finishes at the Qatar Open and Libema Open. In 2025, she got her season off to a strong start, making it to the summit clash of the ASB Classic, where she retired mid-game in the final. She has since reached the third round of the Australian Open and the fourth round of the Miami Open.