Naomi Osaka says it felt like her baby daughter was watching her in winning return

Naomi Osaka said, following her Brisbane International 2024 first-round victory, that she felt inspired to give it her all for her daughter Shai.

In July of last year, Osaka gave birth to her daughter, Shai. She had made her pregnancy public in January and withdrew from the Australian Open in 2023. Her last tournament participation came in Tokyo in 2022 when she pulled with an abdominal issue before her second round match.

In the opening round of the Brisbane International, Osaka defeated Germany’s Tamara Korpatsch 6-3, 7-6(9) to record her first victory in fifteen months.

“I wouldn’t really say it feels differently. Well, that’s a lie. I felt, I don’t know, like a part of me felt like Shai was watching me. I wanted to do my best for her,” Naomi Osaka said of how it feels to play as a mother.

Osaka feels that she hasn’t given her fans enough love back after the great support they have shown her.

“The last couple of years that I played before I had my daughter, I didn’t return as much love as I was given,” Osaka said on court. “I feel like that’s what I want to do in this chapter.

“I just really appreciate people coming out and knowing me and cheering for me, because I feel like there was a time I was just a little kid trying to watch my role models play. So it feels really surreal sometimes to be playing on these courts.”

She said that having a child made her appreciate the autograph sessions with fans which are often dominated by young kids.

“Also, I guess, like towards the end, when I was signing autographs, I was more aware of kids. It made me, like, feel… I don’t know. I see them differently now because now I’m a mom, too and I can picture Shai being that age,” she added.

Osaka said that she was proud of her performance in Brisbane after so long out of the game.

“Looking back on the match now, honestly, I’m very proud of myself,” Osaka said.

“I feel like I played at a pretty good level. I think my opponent played really well, as well. Honestly, all I can think of is, like, the consistent nerves that I had. So just getting through that really tough match and hopefully building on it.

“I think my next match will be a really good test on that.

She added: “I think maybe some of my decisions weren’t the best. But I think it’s better to have harder matches because it will train me for what’s to come. I know all the opponents I play aren’t easy anyway, so it would be I don’t want to say crazy, but very out there for me to think my first match would be a 6-1, 6-1.”

READ MORE: Naomi Osaka cites Carlos Alcaraz as inspiration in rediscovering her love for tennis

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