Naomi Osaka is a master at multitasking, and she’s proving it once again. Whether she’s dazzling fans on the tennis court or embracing her role as a mom, Osaka knows how to juggle life’s many demands with grace and poise. As we step into the New Year, the four-time Grand Slam champion is reflecting on her whirlwind 2024—but let’s just say, it is her 17-month-old daughter who has completely stolen mama’s spotlight!

The Japanese tennis sensation has set off on a remarkable campaign at the ASB Classic in Auckland. Having won both the matches she played in straight sets, the star player has qualified for the quarterfinals of the tournament. But ahead of her match, she is sharing an insight into how the past year looked for her when she stepped onto the courts after a hiatus – nearly 15 months – following the birth of her daughter, Shai, in July 2023.

Osaka took to her Instagram account to share a string of pictures with her daughter. While she can be seen embracing Shai in some of them, in others, the mother-daughter duo can be seen taking a walk. In one of the visuals, Shai can also be seen watching her mother on television as the WTA star stepped onto the courts in the US Open. Captioning the post, Osaka wrote, “2024 wrap but it’s pics of me and the cutest girl in the world.” These pictures, interestingly, come just days after Osaka made a surprising remark about her tennis future. 

Remember, right before her campaign in Auckland, Osaka engaged with the press and shared that she might think about stepping aside from tennis if she fails to improve much. “I think 2024 humbled me, but I also feel like I grew a lot,” she said adding, “if I’m not above a certain ranking, I don’t see myself playing for a while.” She further shared that she would prefer instead to share quality time with her daughter and be a significant part of her childhood.

“I’d rather spend time with my daughter if I’m not where I think I should be and where I feel like I can be,” Osaka said. Returning to tennis after giving birth is a challenge in its own right – but not completely impossible, as Serena Williams and Elina Svitolina have proved in the past. Regardless, the Japanese pro faced quite some challenges last year, not just professionally but personally as well. From a surprising exit in the qualifiers of the Cincinnati Masters to advancing only to the second round of the US Open, Naomi Osaka failed to clinch any title. Her most successful campaigns came in Doha and the Libema Open, where she managed to qualify for the quarterfinals. 

To add to her challenges, Osaka revealed that her daughter could not sleep on time before her mother’s first-round match at the US Open. “At night, my daughter didn’t wanna go to sleep at her bedtime so I had to hold her for a while. I was like ‘oh wow she picked the perfect day to not go to sleep’.” she said. However, Shai remained the biggest support of strength for her mother and gave her immense hope at crucial junctures. 

When Naomi Osaka revealed her daughter’s immense motivation after a major setback

Naomi Osaka’s last season was not just surprising for her fans, but the concerned the star player herself. One of the major heartbreaks that she faced was at the Paris Olympics where Osaka lost to Angelique Kerber in the first round itself. However, her daughter emerged as one of her biggest motivations after the loss as revealed by the star player herself.

Revealing the same ahead of her campaign at the Canadian Open, Osaka said, “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. Continuing further, she added, “She’s happy that I’m her mom for some reason and it just gave me a lot I guess motivation.” And the latest pictures shared by Osaka reveal that this bond and love has continued to grow deeper. 

Now, as the season unfolds, it would be interesting to see how Osaka balances between motherhood and the needs of her demanding career. Will her daughter continue to motivate her to face the challenges head-on? Regardless of the outcome, the little one will be a driving force, in one way or another.