Naomi Osaka is currently making efforts to create the perfect balance between the role of a mother as well as that of a tennis star. It has been 11 months since the Japanese player gave birth to her daughter Shai and is trying to regain momentum in the tennis scene. Amid her run for the French Open title, Osaka opened up about the lessons life is teaching her along with her parenting adventures.

In the pre-game press conference, Naomi Osaka was exposed to the queries about how her life has changed after welcoming Shai. The 26-year-old, who just gained her first win at Roland Garros over Lucia Bronzetti, mentioned how resilience and patience are the things that a tennis mom has to carry wherever they go.

A journalist asked Osaka, “Don’t mothers have to be clay-courters?” Confused at the question at first, she asked for a repetition and the journalist explained, “Don’t they have to be patient? Don’t they have to be resilient? Don’t they have to react and adapt to their kids all the time?” After declaring it a funny question, the Japanese star sort of agreed. “I do think like moms do have to be all of those things um and there’s people that are naturally like that anyways.”

Delving into her personal experience of traveling the roads of both parenting as well as playing, she added, “There’s people that are naturally like that anyways, but for me, um yeah, I am learning a lot of lessons through motherhood. Aand I hope that I can remember to apply them on the tennis court.”

It has been nearly ten months since Naomi Osaka welcomed her first kid into this world. However, even after inviting new responsibilities in her daily schedule, the 26-year-old was determined to hold the racket once again and therefore found her way back from the start of this season. While she still seems to be figuring out a way to be stable between both tracks, her intense start at the Roland Garros gave a positive sign.

Naomi Osaka’s cherished connection to Shai’s growing phase

Seeing a kid grow day after day is one of the most precious moments a parent witnesses in their life. Naomi Osaka is going through a similar phase, along with tackling the hurdles in her professional career. In the same press conference, the Japanese WTA star mentioned how hard it is to keep herself distant from the little one.

“Being away from her was really tough but I called her every day. I saw how well she was doing and I saw how happy she was, so that made me happy too,” she said, mentioning how her career demands being away from the family as she travels across the globe.

She suddenly had a sparkle in her eyes while sharing an adorable update on Shai’s growth. “But yesterday she like walked for the first time,” she added.

Navigating through two different roads can be hard at some times but it’s also a matter of immense glory, not for oneself but for loved ones too. As Naomi Osaka goes through struggles currently, each of her victories means a lot more than just a match and is a cause for celebration!