Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka has openly admitted that balancing elite tennis with motherhood has been a difficult and tough challenge.
Osaka stated this after a rocky start to her 2026 season, including an early exit at the Miami Open.
Returning to the tour after giving birth to her daughter, Shai, in 2023, Osaka, in a chat with People, described her journey as a dilemma where she is navigating high-level competition with the desire to spend as much time as possible with her child.
“It’s not like I’m setting out in my day to balance them, it just happens,” she says.
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“And for me, I feel like everything has its place in my life. And honestly, I have a really amazing support system, so yeah, I would say they help me balance it really well.
“Honestly, I probably did have or did feel a lot of pressure my first year back playing tennis, just because I wanted to do well and be amazing at everything. But then I realized it’s okay to ask for help.
“I’m the type of person that has a lot of pride, and I don’t like inconveniencing people, so I tend to hold off until the last second, but I realize that most people want to help. And when you ask for help, it’s not an inconvenience. It took a long time for me to realize that in my life.”
