WTA boasts of some of the most iconic mothers or to-be mothers like Serena Williams, Elina Svitolina, and now Naomi Osaka. These top tennis players have had a change in perspective after experiencing motherhood themselves. And this is especially true in the case of their relationship with their mothers. Naomi Osaka has become the latest top WTA star to pay tribute to her mother, as Serena Williams did after having Olympia.
Both Serena Williams’ and Naomi Osaka’s mothers have played a crucial role in their successful careers. And the stars have understood the gravity of their role after becoming mothers themselves.
Naomi Osaka pays tribute to her mother like Serena Williams after experiencing motherhood
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The Japanese tennis player has shared a platform with Serena Williams quite a few times. However, this time, she stands in the same category as her idol after paying a heartfelt tribute to her mother.
Osaka, recently opened up in an interview with Hana Kuma, about an evolved relationship with her mother. She started with, “My relationship with my mom has changed a lot. She is someone who is very bold. If you meet her, you’ll remember her for sure.”
She added, “I just appreciate her so much more now. I know all of the things she had to go through to raise me and my sister.”
The bar raised by her mother has made Osaka dwell on what she would look like in her child’s eyes. Osaka said, “I am just anticipating what my kid will feel for me and all the hard times that I will probably have to go through.”
Looking back upon how her mother shielded Osaka and her sister, she felt a sense of gratitude toward her. She ended with, “I realized that when I was younger it didn’t feel like tough times because my mom didn’t allow it to feel like tough times.”
Similarly, Serena Williams too paid a heartfelt tribute to her mother after giving birth to Olympia. And now Serena Williams is once again reminiscing about motherhood, as she is going to become a mother once again.
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Williams wishes to pass on her mother’s teachings to Olympia
In the movie, ‘King Richard’, the focus was solely highly on the father of Venus and Serena Williams, Richard Williams. However, it was only later revealed that the woman behind the scenes, the pillar of the family, Oracene Price, held the family intact.
Hence, when Serena gave birth to Olympia, she made it a point to make a public tribute to her mother through an open letter. She stated, “Thank you for being the role model. I hope to teach my baby Alexis Olympia the same, and have the same fortitude you have had.”
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She concluded with, “Promise me, Mom, that you will continue to help. I’m not sure if I am as meek and strong as you are yet.” With hope and a vision to be like her mother one day, Serena has once again stepped into the role of motherhood, as she is expecting Olympia’s younger sibling soon.
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