Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka is a mother to daughter Shai, whom she shares with her ex-boyfriend Cordae. The duo welcomed the child in July 2023, and her name translates to “God’s gift.” Currently, Osaka is taking some much-needed time off the WTA circuit to fully heal from injuries that she sustained during the Australian Open.
Subsequently, Osaka pulled out of the Middle East swing, citing the same physical issue, raising concerns about her long-term fitness. In an exclusive interview with Hypebeast, Osaka reflected on many aspects of the game, both on and off the court.
After discussing her fashion statements in recent tournaments, the journalist directed Osaka’s attention towards her daughter, asking whether she would expect her (Shai) to follow in her footsteps and play tennis professionally. The former World No. 1 explained why she won’t stop her daughter from playing tennis.
“If she wants to play tennis, she can. I’m never going to stop her from doing anything that she wants to do. I think it’s kind of inevitable, because when I was young, I also wanted to do what my mom did. My daughter has her own little tennis racket, and she sometimes hits the ball,” Osaka said.
“But I think I am focused more on her character and how she grows up to be as a person. I want to create an excellent environment around her so that she’s able to grow and learn and explore as best that she can,” she added.
Naomi Osaka Praised Novak Djokovic for Ushering Positive Changes in the Sport
While reflecting on the changes she has observed in the sport since she started playing as a teenager, Osaka highlighted that players in the current era focus more on fitness and are “stronger and faster now.” Osaka credited these positive changes in perceptions of fitness levels to 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic.
“As far as the players go, obviously everyone’s stronger and faster now, and I think people also just take the sport itself more seriously… Now everyone’s figuring out their fitness level. I feel like that also has to do with Djokovic, to be honest,” Osaka said.
“He’s kind of set a precedent on understanding your body and putting in work to do all the recovery. He’s amazing. He just went to the Australian Open finals, and he’s still here fighting and winning,” she added.
Before the Australian Open, Osaka had only played at the United Cup, where she played two singles matches for Team Japan, winning one while losing the other; therefore, the Japanese star is yet to feature in her first WTA event of the season, which could be the WTA 1000 event at Indian Wells, California, starting March 2.
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