Naomi Osaka’s season has been nothing short of a rollercoaster. With setback after setback, the Japanese star has faced one challenge after another. Just as fans thought she might be making her comeback at the China Open, a sudden back injury forced her to withdraw, keeping her off the courts even longer. But despite the heartbreaks and missed opportunities, Osaka has found a bright spot in her life: her adorable daughter, Shai, who’s already stealing the spotlight with a budding sense of style that rivals her mom’s!

The Japanese tennis sensation seems to be spending some quality time with her daughter as she witnesses injury-related woes. This is also helping the player explore more about her 1-year-old and the proud mother is not failing to heap praises on her daughter. But, what is compelling Osaka to sing praises for her daughter? Well, it’s their mutual love for fashion.

Taking to her threads, the 27-year-old WTA star shared a remarkable update about her daughter. “Shai’s a natural fashionista 😂,” Osaka wrote. Detailing the adjective she gave to her daughter, the star player said, “I’ve been letting her pick when we go shopping and I can’t decide between two things. She hasn’t missed so far lol.”  It appears that the toddler is following in the footsteps of her mother when it comes to fashion.

Naomi Osaka has never failed to dazzle her fans with her unique fashion skills. Be it her on-court attire or off-court appearances, she has always proved that tennis and fashion can go hand in hand and the amalgamation of both can enhance the beauty of a player. One such attire was witnessed at this year’s US Open as well, where Osaka was seen in a bold, bow-embellished look, designed by Nike in collaboration with its frequent contributor Yoon Ahn.

Coming back to her admiration for her daughter, this is not the first time when the young mother has beamed with pride. For those unaware, the tennis pro welcomed Shai in July 2023 with her boyfriend, Cordae. She also took a break from the sport for a long 15 months and returned only this year. As her daughter celebrated her first birthday in July this year, Osaka could not contain her happiness.  Taking to her Threads, she emotionally wrote, “My big girl is one today🥹 I can’t believe it.” But for Osaka, Shai is not just growing up as her fashion partner, but also her biggest motivator. 

When Naomi Osaka revealed how her daughter uplifted her after a major setback

Naomi Osaka’s season has not just been surprising for her fans, but the player herself. She witnessed some shocking exits as early as in the qualifiers as witnessed at the Cincinnati Masters and failed drastically even on the hardcourts. A similar result was witnessed at the Paris Olympics where Osaka lost to Angelique Kerber in the first round itself. But while she was devastated after the loss, her daughter became a motivating factor for her.

Speaking about this ahead of the Canadian Open, the Japanese player revealed, “I would say when I was younger I defined success by winning tournaments, winning matches. I defined my worth a lot by like whether I won or lost and now I would say for example I lost in the Olympics I was of course really devastated but I don’t know I was just surrounded by my team and then I went back home and I saw my daughter and I don’t know she’s just happy to be alive. She’s happy that I’m her mom for some reason and it just gave me a lot I guess motivation.” And this love has continued to grow deeper. 

But besides her quality time with her daughter, what Naomi Osaka would be thinking about is returning to the courts soon again. Will she be able to make a dominant comeback this season? Well, only time will tell.