Naomi Osaka, who became a mother 18 months ago, shared that she learned communication and boundaries from her baby daughter, Skai.
Osaka returned to the court in Indian Wells after sustaining an abdominal injury at the Australian Open. She failed to get past the first round, where Camila Osorio defeated the Japanese player in straight sets 6-4, 6-4.
In a recent clip shared by ‘overtimetennis’ and ‘WTA’ on their Instagram handle, Osaka was asked about what she recently learned from her daughter. To which she replied:
“something I recently learned from my daughter, communication and boundaries.”
When asked about the words Skai knows, Osaka shared:
“She loves the word ‘No.’ So I will ask her if she wants something, she will say ‘No,’ do you want to go here, ‘No,’ do you want some fruit, ‘No.’ So, she knows what she wants.”
The former World No. 1 served her maternity period from October 2022 to December 2023, a total of 15 months. She returned to professional tennis in January 2024 and reached her first tour final after the break at the ASB Classic in January 2025. She has shown a lot of promise from the start of this season but has been held back due to recurring injuries.
In the finals of the ASB classic, Naomi Osaka withdrew mid-match after winning the first set due to injury against Clara Tauson. This was followed by the Australian Open, where she reached the third round of the tournament but once again had to withdraw after the first set due to injury concerns against a fellow mother, Belinda Bencic.
Osaka has struggled with her health after the pregnancy. But she has been working hard with her team to meet the physical requirements of the relentless tour. She will be back in action at the Miami Open, which begins on March 18.
Naomi Osaka has previously also shared instances of how motherhood has taught her to become a better human being and athlete.
Talking to CNN sports, Osaka revealed that she has learned how to become more patient and that her perspective on things has also changed. She stated:
“Becoming a mom, I’ve learned to become a lot more patient and sort of understand that I can’t control everything, but I can only do my best in certain situations and hope that the outcome is positive, but if not, then there’s always another day.”
The 27-year-old’s reflection on being a mother shows how motherhood can change a person for the better. She constantly finds herself learning from her one-and-a-half-year-old daughter, drawing inspiration and implementing those lessons in her own life.
